Monster
by Onomatopoeiafloon
Summary: A disease that changes man to beast...Heiji is infected with Lycanthropy. As he struggles with his new secret he becomes terrified with the possibility that he could be a dangerous killer. And deadly shadows stalk his every move... KazuhaHeiji, ShinR
1. Ancient Law

_Disclaimer:_

_DC isn't mine, and the way the werewolves work is half-credited to my sister who helped me develope them. _

_Title of the fanfiction, plus inspiration for it's creation goes to Skillet for the awesome song. _

_**Really, this is just something that very randomly popped into my head while I was longing to put certain songs on my iPod...**_

_**It created this...**_

_**No flaming me. Because if you flame me I will bite you, and Werecatism tends to be contagious X3**_

_**This was inspired, of course, by the song: Monster by Skillet!**_

_**If you haven't heard it I recommend it highly, it's awesomesauce and is kind of the theme for this whole fanfiction. **_

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_Chapter One- Ancient Law_

The stars glittered coldly on a circle of cloaked men and women. Each cloak was dyed a certain color, though this was visible only to the wearers. They're superb night vision made it possible to see just as well in the darkness of night as they would in the daylight. Such was one of the perks of being what is commonly referred to as a werewolf.

"Kiria-sama..." A single young man, standing in the very center of the circle, spoke. His eyes were the color of obsidian, and what hair was falling out of the cowels of his hood was seen to be a dark shade of ebony. The man's eyes flashed with frustration as he bowed down respectfully, placing one knee in the wet grass and dipping his head while spreading his arms wide. It killed him to do this, and to a damn female of all things.

One woman stood apart from the entire group. Her hair was black, like the young man's, but her eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald. Twinkling and lively. Warm, and even gentle. Gazing down at the man before her something akin to pity lit that emerald gaze, and the man twitched with fury at that. "Kuziki-kun..." She whispered, lifting her hands so that he could rise to a standing position. "You have something that you wish to gather us for?"

"Yes..." Kuziki said, darting his dark gaze to a light-haired woman whose hood was pulled back. The woman's eyes were a cold shade of ice blue, and they narrowed slightly at the sight of his dark gaze. "Perhaps it would be best...if the counsel weren't present..."

"The counsel?" Kiria said, turning to glance at the woman behind her who returned the look with a level and cool gaze. "Anything that can be spoken to me can be heard by Onya-chan..."

Kuziki growled under his breath. To have that infernal ice-wench here...No matter. He blinked twice and turned so that his dark gaze met that of every standing person nearby. It wasn't brief eye contact either, but long looks that lasted sometimes ten seconds at a time. Several of the gathered persons began to growl under their breath. Kuziki smirked. One fault of being a werewolf was that eye contact made them incredibly uncomfortable.

"It is...the matter of 'human-kind' that has brought me to the Circle tonight." Kuziki said, lifting his pale fingers in a quoting gesture as he said the word "human-kind". The atmosphere was suddenly very tensed, and Onya rolled her crystalline blue eyes. _Laugh while you can bitch...I will eventually get my way, one way or another._

Kiria blinked, "This matter once more Kuziki-kun? I cannot allow it, now or ever. Human-kind is not to be used as a food source. Those of our kind that have tasted human blood have lost much of their coherency. They have become more beast-like than intelligent. For the sake of our race I cannot allow us to feed on normal people. It does not matter to me how weak you claim them to be, or how you think we are opressed by their nation. True, we remain in hiding for our safety, but it is also for their safety that we keep our existence a secret. I do not wish a war between our species."

"Ne, ne Kiria-sama..." Kuziki said, bowing his head quickly as if he agreed with her. In reality he was burning on the inside. A terrible anger threatened to take him over the edge. Kiria never disagreed with his words so quickly, and by the smug look in Onya's eyes he could imagine that the infernal woman had put it in Kiria's head. _Damn...I'll get nowhere at this rate..._ His confidence had vanished. "But...I do not necessarily require that we FEED on the mundanes, just quietly begin to infect their people. Eventually there will be too many 'Wolves to fight and our people will no longer have to live within the shadows-"

"Baka!" Onya yelled, and Kuziki whirled to see a beautiful white she-wolf standing in her place. Whatever clothing Onya had been wearing beneath the dark cloak that was still clasped around her throat floated to the ground in torn pieces. Her teeth were lifted in a snarl, and to Kuziki, the air felt a degree colder. "Our lives co-exist because it was meant to be. Our kind cannot always control ourselves when infecting others. That is why it was decided a hundred years ago that we would never use our fangs on mundanes again, and any mundane changed by our disease was to be destroyed. It is ancient law!"

"Is it so ancient, Onya-san, if it is merely a hundred years old?" Kuziki asked, dangerously on the edge of his own transformation. The familiar ache was beginning in his muscles, and his jaw felt heavy. Kiria stepped between them, making Onya lift her white head in surprise.

"Peace!" Kiria commanded, and Kuziki felt the wolf inside of him recoil. Oh but it was unnatural for a woman to be the Alpha. For a woman to rule and lead the Greater Pack. Kuziki unwillingly stepped back. "Onya-chan is right Kuziki-kun. Infecting the mundanes is just asking for trouble, and deaths...besides I will not risk a life of craving blood on my people. If we were to become addicted to the lifeforce of human creatures...Besides that, the writings of mundanes changed into our kind shows that the mundane goes through much pain and suffering. That they have a harder time accepting their beast, and gaining effective control over it."

"But-" Kuziki croaked, but Kiria waved her arms in a gesture to silence him.

"It is our duty as creatures of higher intelligence, our duty to morality, not to harm other creatures with intelligence. It is written in the oldest of laws that are, yes Kuziki, ancient. Every religion possesses laws that tell us we must not harm others. Must not kill others. Must not steal from others, and so forth." Kiria's green eyes grew gentle and warm, "We must do our best to live in peace with everybody."

"You are naive if you think you can continue life with complete peace..." Kuziki growled. Fury burned in his stomach and he stalked out of the circle. The night seemed to swirl around him as he spun around and cried out, "Do not forget, Kiria-sama, that it was I who tried to save our race."

"Our race needs no saving." Onya said, having returned to her human form once more. She was drawing her cloak around herself, and narrowing her eyes colored eyes at Kuziki, "Do not do something stupid, Kuziki-kun..."

* * *

Hattori Heiji was alone in the mountains. Not that he was complaining or anything like that...okay, so he was complaining. Rather loudly actually. "Ahou, getting herself sick on the day we were supposed to go camping. Then thinking I wouldn't go without her and begging me to go anyways..."

He was talking about his childhood friend, Kazuha. They hadn't been spending much time together lately, what with all the cases Heiji was taking nowadays and the run ins he had with a detective friend of his. In fact, a lot of the time they HAD been spending together usually ended with either Kazuha almost getting killed or Heiji.

_Because Kudou's lying for himself all the time and he's got bad karma._ Heiji thought with a twitch of his dark eyebrows. The young man turned a bored look in the direction of the view. Something that he would have enjoyed more if he had somebody to talk to. Heiji was a social person by nature, and besides...

He'd kind of been looking forward to this trip.

"Ahou." Heiji muttered, a little grumpily. Now had been one of the only times he had with his good friend, and she'd gone and gotten herself sick by running about in the rain looking for some classmate's lost cat or something. Which was dumb, why didn't she come and ask Heiji for help? He was a freaking detective after all, and even if looking for a cat wasn't something on the top of his to-do list he was a little hurt that she hadn't asked.

Not that he'd ever admit this in a million years. No way, nuh-uh.

It was around this time that he heard the snapping of a twig nearby. Curiousity suddenly piqued to the maximum, Heiji turned his head to stare in the direction of a sound. _That didn't sound like an animal..._Heiji thought, and he was right. The young detective narrowed his sharp green-blue eyes in suspicion. A man wearing a black cloak was walking through the forest.

_Odd...why would someone wear something like that in a forest?_ Heiji thought, right before his mind whirred to one thing. A small detective who called himself Edogawa Conan. Of course, that wasn't his real name. His true name was Shinichi Kudou, and he usually wasn't 'small'. After sticking his nose in the wrong sort of business he had been shrunk down to the size of a little kid by some sort of drug...

By men who wore black.

_Kudou didn't really describe them as wearing cloaks, but he would kill me if he ever found out that I saw something that was even a LITTLE suspicious and didn't look into it. _Heiji thought, never mind the fact that it was practically impossible for somebody to figure out that he hadn't pursued somebody. (Besides, if anybody could find something like that out it was Kudou...)

So Heiji ducked after the man. After awhile it became obvious that the man was used to these woods. He seemed to know where every tree root lie hidden beneath the thick undergrowth. Yet he followed no path, and Heiji was beginning to worry that he wouldn't be able to find his way back. While thinking of this the dark-skinned detective glanced over his shoulder...

And when he returned his gaze to where his suspect had been standing there was nobody there. Heiji blinked twice in utter confusion. _This isn't possible..._ He thought, _Did he duck into a cave or something? He couldn't have just disappeared! _

It seemed that was the case though. Heiji knelt down next to the spot he'd seen the man standing and looked at the ground. Nothing there, and nothing looking up either. (An odd fact about people that Heiji had learned as a detective was that they rarely ever looked up for some reason.)

Heiji stiffened suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck lifted and prickled. His heart sped up, and he had the distinctly terrible feeling that something was watching him. This all happened a heartbeat before he heard it, the low snarling of some kind of animal behind him.

Instinct is powerful even in human beings. It took all of Heiji's rationality not to run then and there. Running from growling predators wasn't a good idea because the animal would more than likely attack you. So he slowly pivoted, keeping himself as loose and non-threatening as he possibly could.

_Not possible._ His mind informed him unhelpfully when he saw what had spotted him. It was a wolf, but not like any wolf Heiji had seen in a zoo or even on television. This beast was easily as tall as he was, it's massive paws balanced on the log it was poised on top of. It's fur was the color of ink, so dark that where the light had leaked through it appeared indigo. Even it's eyes were black, and Heiji didn't think he had ever heard of a wolf with that color of eyes. The wolf lifted his tail, and pulled those lips back to reveal a row of glimmering teeth.

Now he couldn't fight it. Not with any knowledge of any kind. The instinct to flee was so strong that Hattori Heiji whirled and took off through the trees. The teen darted between the trunks, trying, in some small part of his mind, to figure out how he had gotten to this part of the forest in the first place. Not that he truly knew why, finding the trail wouldn't stop a wolf from tearing your throat out.

"Ahou!" Heiji yelled at himself as a branch caught his ankle and he hit the ground rolling. The forest floor here was sloped slightly, so he didn't stop until he slammed into a tree. Heiji's head spun a little sickeningly and he scrambled to his feet.

With a strangled sounding bark, something that actually made Heiji's panicked mind think the creature was laughing at him, the wolf landed in front of him. It must have doubled around the tree to cut him off. Heiji rolled away, and the next thing he knew he was on open air.

For a sickening moment he was certain that he had rolled off a cliff, and that he would break his neck in his own desperate attempt NOT to die. How ironic...Yet the next thing he knew he was striking the grassy ground hard, and rolling faster than he had been on the other incline. Heiji flipped himself so that he was sliding on his back, and the young man winced as stones and loose rocks cut deep into his back.

He caught himself with his feet, his teeth clicking together audibly at the impact. Heiji rolled over into a semi-standing position, and looked to the top of the hill. The wolf was staring down at him, dark eyes flickering with cunning. Heiji's heart lifted, surely the stupid creature wouldn't try the slope?

It didn't, but it got down to where Heiji was easily enough. The creature crouched, bunching it's muscles and then springing down. It landed almost silently next to Heiji, and turned that muzzle filled with sharp teeth on him. Heiji jerked back in time to avoid getting bitten, but the snap that resulted in the beast's teeth slamming together chilled him to the bone.

_No way, no way..._ Heiji thought, baffled for a moment into a frozen panic. The beast advanced on him, ears flattened and teeth bared. Heiji's stomach twisted sickeningly. _I'm...I'm going to die here. This thing is going to kill me. Dammit. Dammit!_

So came the second most basic instinct when introduced to primal fear, the first being flight. Heiji's keen eyes spotted a fallen branch, and he dove for it. The wolf jerked his head back in surprise as Heiji rolled into a Kendo stance, holding the stick like he would the wooden blade.

It snorted, actually SNORTED at Heiji as if the creature found this resistance to be amusing. It darted at Heiji, who blocked the biting attack by slamming the bottom end of the stick into the creature's lower jaw. It yelped with surprise as Heiji just as smoothly slammed the body of the stick into it's head.

_Really I'm just pissing it off..._Heiji thought, circling the wolf warily. It was growling openly now. The thick black fur on the ruff of it's neck was standing on end, and it peeled it's lips back even further to reveal not only those teeth but the pink gums as well. Everything in the stiff-legged creature's posture suggested one thing. That Heiji needed to put the stick down or risk getting his throat torn out. _No go Bud, because if I put this down you'll tear my throat out anyways. It's a win-win for you, but definitely not for me._

Heiji decided to take it off guard, perhaps scare it away, and darted at the beast. It did surprise the creature, but just as Heiji was going to slam that stick onto it's head it...vanished. Heiji caught himself easily enough, anybody who was really good at Kendo wouldn't let themselves fall just for missing a dodging opponent. Yet nothing that big could possibly move that quickly.

He was wrong, horribly wrong. Pain exploded in his ankle and Heiji was thrown into the air. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, his own stick working against him and burying itself deep into his leg. Heiji cried aloud at that, the pain was intense. The wolf stalked over to him, eyes flickering with distinct hunger and pleasure.

"Damn..." Heiji groaned as the beast advanced on him. How could he do anything now? It seemed that his future prediction was the truth, his death was iminent in this place. He was suddenly very glad that Kazuha hadn't come after all. That she would have been anywhere in the forest with this rabid creature...he would rather that never happen at all.

The wolf's muscles coiled, and Heiji shut his eyes against a wave of exhaustion and acceptance. This was how it all ended for Heiji, detective of the West. Not old age, or even by murder. It was by a beast, a creature that lived in the wilderness. When he opened his eyes all he could see was that gaping maw filled with killing-sharp teeth.

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Ancient law. Pheh. Kuziki snapped his deadly teeth at the throat of that mundane, of that damned creature who would dare to stand up and fight against him. Yet part of Kuziki respected that spirit, that courage. So as he opened his teeth for that throat he made a decision.

Oh it would have been laughably easy to severe his life force. To cut the jugular that would cause him to bleed delicious crimson life into Kuziki's open maw. Laughably easy to bite through the spine, to seperate the entire head from that pathetically weak body. But no, he didn't. Because he decided that this welp would be HIS. His guinea pig, his apprentice.

So at the last instant he turned his massive head, and didn't bite the creature in his neck. Those teeth slammed shut like a trap on the young man's shoulder. Blood flooded into his mouth, and Kuziki had to fight with himself not to tear the creature to shreds in his sudden craving to feed on him. Kuziki jerked his head back, and howled. Howled in defiance to those bitches who would dare to think they could control the makings of a TRUE alpha! He would start his own pack, and this creature would be the start of it.

With that the beast turned, and left that man with the disease coursing through his veins.

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It left. It tore into his shoulder and just LEFT him there. Heiji rolled over into a sitting position, gripping the badly bleeding shoulder and staring after the beast with shock. Why? Why would it do that? Relief coursed through him, so strongly that he found his hands were shaking uncontrollably and that he was near the verge of hysteria. He couldn't seem to stop laughing with this relief, and part of Heiji wondered how insane he would look if somebody were to spot him here.

_Home. Hospital._ He thought numbly, getting to his feet and gritting his teeth against the pain that throbbed in his shoulder. He staggered and fell, on account of the fact that he had a hefty sized branch shoved into his thigh. Heiji stared at it blankly, trying to recall any of his medical knowledge. That stick HURT...

Had he not been in shock, which he was in quite badly right now, he would have known that when one has been impaled with something it is crucial to NOT pull the object out. Pulling it out can cause more damage, and keeping it in actually can help the bleeding. Yet Heiji's hand closed around that stick and he yanked it out almost ruthlessly.

Of course it HURT, it was a stick shoved in his thigh. Heiji collapsed to the ground with a cry, and grabbed at the place the stick had been shoved in. He grit his teeth against a wave of pain, and was surprised as all hell when he realized it wasn't his leg that suddenly occupied his mind. No, it was his chest. It felt heavy, as if something was sitting on him. "Shit...can't...can't breathe..."

Blood, pain, more blood. It seemed as if he were swimming in a river of it, was it all his? Heiji's vision flickered sickeningly. _If there is such a thing as fate...it really freaking hates me._ He thought dizzily, pitching forward. By the time his face struck the ground he was out cold.

The wounds on his body began to close and heal...

* * *

"Saruka-chaaaaan..." A young college student named Miziro whined as she tried to catch up with her hiking friend. She hated the outdoors. The outdoors had things like bears, and tigers right? She wanted to go back to Tokyo where the only jungle was in a playground. Her friend turned blue eyes back at her, a look of irritation sparking in their depths.

"It's only five miles, Miziro-chan." The girl replied, flipping her copper colored hair over her shoulder. Miziro closed her eyes and took a deep breath to let out another whine when Saruka suddenly gasped with something akin to horror. Miziro's brown eyes flew open, and she screeched before she could even think of what had made Saruka sound so distressed.

"Bear!? Tiger?! We're dead!" Miziro wailed, only to be elbowed roughly in the stomach by her companion. Miziro doubled over, guessing that they weren't faced by a dangerous creature. She narrowed her eyes at Saruka, "That huuuuurt."

"Do you see that?" Saruka asked, pointing down the slope. Miziro's eyes widened with horror. It looked like a person. She felt suddenly very sick, and she lifted her voice in a shrill shriek of terror. To stumble on a dead body in the middle of a forest. Saruka gave her an annoyed look and slid down the hill.

"Oi, oi!" Miziro protested, running after her friend. Landing at the bottom she pulled her hands up to her face and whimpered. "Is he dead? He doesn't look like he's very old at all...Saruka what do we do?"

Suddenly the boy they had found groaned, his eyes fluttered open very briefly, and then they shut again. Saruka placed a hand on his head and pulled it back with a swift nod of her head. "He's burning up, I bet he collapsed out of fever. Miziro we need to carry him out of here and get him to a hospital, there's blood on his clothing."

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_**End of chapter one!**_

_**Eee! I'm excited about this. :3**_

_**No flames please...**_

_**Reviews much appreciated XP**_


	2. Fever Dreams

_Disclaimer:_

_I wish I had awesome manga drawing skills to draw this but...sadly I don't so I can't possibly own DC now can I?_

_**-bounces-**_

_**I'm so psyched about this!**_

_**This chapter was loads of fun to write. :3**_

_**I've discovered two things: **_

_**One; Kazuha is very fun to write from Heiji's POV...**_

_**Two; Writing Heiji in a way that he is scared, but not OOC is kind of hard to do...cause Heiji isn't the type of person that is...you know, easily panicked. He's very care-free, but he's got a stoic air to him as well. Very deep character. :3**_

_**Akemi-Chan 815- Indeed, werewolves...X3**_

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_Chapter Two- Fever Dreams_

When he next opened his eyes he was acutely aware of the fact that he couldn't be conscious. He was in a forest, not the same one he had fainted in, but a forest none the less. It was colored in silver and blue, beautiful really. Yet the mist that seemed to cling to him like some other skin bothered Heiji. Frightened him actually.

He wasn't the type that really got scared that easily, well, unless he was facing down a wolf that was easily five feet tall. That didn't count though.

His memories of the incident were so vivid that when he shut his eyes he could see that wolf leaping at him from their darkness. Heiji felt himself shudder at the memory. There had been something that truly set him off about the creature. Something coupled with the sense that he was being hunted and that he had to get away.

"The eyes were human." Heiji decided, feeling a bit dazed as he began walking only because it seemed the right thing to do. "Those eyes weren't the eyes of an animal. It acted like it was smart too...what the...what the HELL did I run into today?"

The snapping of a nearby twig sent Heiji's heart hammering with fear. Not again, he wasn't going to face that damn beast again. Without even looking he spun around and went flying through the trees. Nevermind that this had to be a dream. Nevermind that he couldn't get hurt in his subconscious.

The sounds of pursuit followed after him, and Heiji felt a new desperation grip him. He wouldn't look. There was something crucial about that, looking would make things worse.

Then whatever it was that was chasing him slammed into him from behind. Heiji was soaring through open air, towards a crystalline blue lake. They both crashed into the waves, and when Heiji's head popped up on the surface he gagged at the taste. Coppery...the water wasn't blue as he thought before. But red, blood red.

"The hell?" Heiji croaked as a wave suddenly picked him up and he was thrown into the ground. Heiji curled into a ball, trying to catch his breath and wake up from this awful dream world at the same time. He could hear the sound of something lapping at the blood-lake beside him.

Against his own will he turned his head, and found himself staring into blue-green eyes. Eyes that were human, but in the face of a massive wolf with chocolate colored fur. A single black stripe ran from between those eyes and to the tip of it's tail. It lifted it's head and let out a low and mournful cry of sadness.

_You're familiar..._He thought in confusion as the wolf staggered forward. It's breathing became hitched, and Heiji watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the fur began to fall off the wolf in clumps. When it lifted his head he felt his throat become paralyzed with fear.

"Me...it's me..." Heiji croaked, panic engulfing him. The other Heiji grinned, his eyes flashed to crimson, the color of the writhing lake over his shoulder. Those teeth were pointed, and he began to laugh. Laugh a terrible and rasping laugh.

"It's me! It's me!" Said the monster Heiji, his words horribly garbled by the mouthful of large teeth. Almost like the snarling of an animal. Heiji curled into a ball and covered his head with his hands. "It's me! It's me! It is US!"

Around that time was when he started to scream uncontrollably.

* * *

Kazuha rubbed her sore nose with about the billionth tissue she could find. She hated being sick, and she hated it even more when it meant that she couldn't hang out with her friend...even if he was kind of stupid. Kazuha chuckled, and winced. Her throat was still sore from this morning.

The phone rang. Kazuha groaned, and wished for about the fifth time that her father was home to pick it up. Instead she found herself swinging her legs over and picking up the reciever. She didn't bother sugar-coating it, that wasn't her style. "What do you want?" She snapped, catching whoever was on the other end off guard probably. There was a pause and she croaked, "Well?"

"Kazuha-chan are you ill?" Came the concerned reply. Kazuha blinked twice, that was the voice of one of her classmates. She struggled to think of his name as he continued, "I hardly expected you to be home, but I'm definitely relieved! You know how my father's a doctor?"

"Suuuure..." Kazuha said, in all honesty she had absolutely no idea who she was talking to, let alone whether or not they happened to have a doctor for a father. "I couldn't go hiking today because of my cold...and I don't need a doctor it's just a cold."

"Oh, I didn't mean that." The boy said, sounding a little embarassed. "It's just...dad has access to the ambulance radio. He leaves it on in the house when he's on call y'know? Well some call came in today that they found some teenager sacked out in the mountains. Apparently the person fainted due to fever and was just lying unconcious in the forest or something...I thought maybe it was Hattori-kun since nobody was home. He wouldn't have gone hiking without you though, ne?"

Kazuha felt a little cold, and worry gripped her. It was probably ridiculous, but she had long since learned that her good friend had an awful habit of getting into awful situations. "Well I'm fine, thanks for calling." She hung up the phone quickly before anymore protests could be made.

Grabbing her coat and placing a mask on her face Kazuha left her home about five minutes later. She was probably being stupid, but she had to make sure that it wasn't Heiji they had found in the mountains. She had to make sure that he was alright, and that this person was somebody she did not know.

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Kazuha coughed behind her mask, and let her eyes sweep the busy hospital ward. Osaka had several hospitals, but she had known where Heiji was hiking and if he had been taken to any hospital it would be the closest one to the mountains, this one she was in now.

"Excuse me..." Kazuha said, walking up to the nurse's station. She suddenly felt stupid for ever coming here, but that wasn't going to make her back out. "Is there a teenaged boy here called...Hattori Heiji?"

"Yes." The woman behind the counter replied after a quick glance at the patients list. Quick, because the name was probably near the top. "He was recently accepted...are you family?"

"Can only the family see him?" She croaked, trying not to sound as freaked as she felt right now. So the boy had not only been Heiji, but he wasn't in good condition. A strange kind of fear gripped her heart. _Ahou, he shouldn't have been walking around the woods all alone if he wasn't feeling very well! _

"Friends can see him now..." The voice of a young man startled Kazuha from her thoughts, and she turned to stare at a young male doctor. He gave her a gentle smile, "He isn't awake now, but he's in stable condition. We've given him drugs in an attempt to take down his fever. It was incredibly high..."

He trailed off suddenly, as though realizing that he probably shouldn't divulge so much information about the patient to her. Kazuha let the man lead her to the room, and she walked in the door.

Oh, she hated this. Kazuha shut her eyes. Heiji was lying in one of those terribly uncomfortable beds, he looked strangely pale, even though his skin was very dark. She sat down by him, feeling her stomach knot with worry and trying to turn it into anger at the idiot who was lying in that bed. "Ahou, ahou, ahou..."

* * *

Consciousness returned to him before he opened his eyes. Heiji moaned, wishing desperately that he would go back to sleep. Then he remembered the dream, the dream with that beast chasing after him. Heiji's eyes flew open, and for a heartbeat he half expected to be surrounded by silver trees.

He relaxed when all that he saw was the darkened hospital room. Heiji shut his eyes and struggled to drag his intellect up from wherever it was hiding in the corner's of sleep. _Hospital...so why am I here?_ He thought, a feeling of panic closed over him. _Oh, of course. I was attacked by a wolf, nearly chewed to bits...not to mention that gash..._

Yet as he rubbed a hand tenatively over his bare shoulder he discovered no wound. Lifting the covers and peering at his leg confirmed that this was completely unmarked as well. Heiji blinked in confusion. _A...another dream? Yet everything about it seemed so real..._

A giant wolf though? Heiji felt a rush of shame and was glad that he hadn't mentioned this to whoever was taking care of him in this hospital before having thought it through. He'd have sounded like a complete and total moron. As Heiji let his gaze travel around the room he felt his stomach churn a little dizzingly.

The door to his room suddenly opened and Kazuha stumbled in rubbing her eyes and yawning. She had a cup of coffee in one hand, and her hair was mussed up. Heiji blinked in surprise, and his eyes darted over to the chair next to his bed. She couldn't have...wouldn't have...would she? "Kazuha, you're here?"

"Mmm? Heiji!" Kazuha squeaked a little, and jumped in surprise. Then she recovered, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she wiped the spilled coffee off the front of her blouse. "Ahou! If you were feeling sick why did you think you could go hiking? You're lucky those girls found you or you might have been in serious trouble!"

"Eh?" Heiji said, distracted for a moment. So he had gone hiking that day after all, which made sense he supposed. Heiji didn't think he was creative enough to dream up that entire little trip. So where had reality stopped and dreaming ended. "Two girls found me?"

"Ahou!" Kazuha snapped, sitting down a little hard and crossing her hands over her chest. She coughed into her hand suddenly, turning her head away and glaring at the far wall. For a moment Heiji thought he was going to have to repeat his question but she turned her eyes back to his and stated simply, "Yes, two girls. They were out hiking and found you passed out or something like that. They've come by several times to check up on you."

Something akin to envy flashed in Kazuha's eyes as she said this. Heiji felt a wicked grin light up his features, "Is that so? Perhaps I'll have to personally thank them for being oh-so-kind to me and bringing me to safety?" A twinge of amusement sparked inside as Kazuha fumed at this. Though he regarded it with some confusion. _What? Does she think I'll become closer friends with them?_

Sometimes even famous high school detectives could be complete and total idiots with certain things.

Almost as though on cue the door opened and both Kazuha and Heiji glanced up to see who entered the room. It was two college girls, one looked distinctively relieved at the sight of him. The other stayed back a bit. Kazuha stiffened and pulled away from Heiji who blinked. He hadn't realized until that moment that they had both ended up in each other's faces, only a few centimeters apart.

"Oh good, you're alright!" The first girl said, bowing her head. "When Miziro-chan and I finally got you into town you were in awful shape. My name is Yukiro Saruka, my friend here is Tsubuki Miziro."

"You were covered in blood when we found you." Miziro said, looking at Heiji with wide-eyes. "And it was such an odd place for somebody to be lying as well. We thought that you had somehow tripped and fell into that bowl-shaped area, ne Saruka-san?"

The girls continued chattering, but Heiji was unconsciously tuning them out. Something akin to panic had blossomed in his chest. Bowl-shaped area? Like the one from the first wolf dream? Covered in blood? No, no, it was impossible. Impossible for him to have healed so quickly. Impossible for him to have run into a wolf that could stand taller than a young man.

"Heiji?" Kazuha said, something in her tone told Heiji that she had been saying his name several times in a row. Concern was in her eyes, something that kind of bothered Heiji. Since when did Kazuha look concerned about anything? "Are you alright? You've become pale suddenly..."

"Eh? I'm fine!" Heiji said quickly, trying to laugh off his panic. Yet he felt like a trap was closing in on him. "Mmmm...Kazuha? Perhaps you could ask the doctor to give me my clothing? I...I'd like to take a look at them."

Kazuha shot him a look that told Heiji he was being transparently strange to her, but then she knew him since he was a little kid. It was only natural that she would notice when something was off. She got up, and with a cough walked out of the room. Heiji stared blankly at the wall, his mind churning.

"Perhaps we should go..." Saruka said, pushing Miziro out of the room. Heiji tipped his head to the side as the door shut. He heard as she added in a soft whisper, behind the closed door, "Miziro-chan that boy is odd...though I hope he is alright...but he kind of gives me the creeps. Do you understand what I mean?"

_Okay, fine, I don't like you much either._ Heiji thought, feeling a little stung. He focused on tuning the girls out, but he still noticed when Kazuha approached. They completely ceased speaking at all, uttered a quick goodbye, and headed away. As he listened to their receding footsteps the doorknob turned.

"Ah, so he is awake." The young doctor said, making Kazuha look a little irritated. What, did he think his friend had been lying or something? How strange. The doctor handed Heiji a bag and smiled, "Do you mind if I try taking your temperature, Hattori-sama?"

Heiji merely nodded his head and tore into the bag. A feeling of dread coiled in his stomach, and he heard Kazuha let out a gasping noise. Heiji's clothing WAS covered in blood, the shoulder in particular was saturated in it. Torn out as well...Heiji's fingers ran along the dried edges of the fabric and he fought a shudder. The pants leg was also torn in a fairly neat hole where the stick had pierced through.

_So it wasn't a dream..._He thought, his heart pounding so hard that he was finding it a little difficult to breathe. The doctor, who had been grabbing for a thermomater suddenly ceased and stared at him. Heiji struggled to calm down, but no...this was something more than panic gripping him. He felt strange...as though he had to get out of this room as soon as possible. He had to get out or he'd break something...

"Heiji?" Kazuha said, and Heiji wrenched himself away from her. Terrified that the thing he would break would be her. The doctor grabbed him and Heiji fought the urge to wrench himself away from the man as he placed a stethoscope against his chest.

"His heart is racing!" The man commented. Heiji felt irritation spark a strange wave of anger within him. Well no CRAP his heart was racing. HE could have said as much, it wasn't like he couldn't talk. Heiji opened his mouth to say as much but suddenly doubled over as his head made the room spin sickeningly. A thermomater was shoved a little harshly into his ear, "His temperature is...rising at an alarming rate..."

"Heiji!" Kazuha said, worry sounding clear in her voice. Heiji wanted to reply, but at the moment his eyes were rolling back into his head. He collapsed on the bed with a heavy thud.

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More silver forests, yet this time thousands of wolves panted at his heels. The strange thing was that he was running on all fours, and with so much speed that his heart was pounding with exhiliration. He knew, somehow, that he wasn't a human-being at the moment. A wolf, and yet he felt no fear for that.

The howling started up behind him, and Heiji's chocolate colored ears flattened against his skull. That howl shouldn't be used when other wolves chased him. Since he was a wolf as well. It was the howl of hunting...Heiji swerved. Trees flashed through his vision so quickly that he found himself marveling at the fact that he hadn't slammed headfirst into one yet.

"That is the problem with you younglings..." He heard a snarl in his ear and Heiji whirled. He bared his teeth, but found no enemy to bare them at. For a moment he was confused, confronted only with the infinite darkness of night. Then he saw the glistening of white teeth, and the black wolf stepped forward. "So easily distracted even when you're hunted..."

The wolf darted at him and Heiji spun around. He was fleeing, like a coward, through the woods again. Until his paws were suddenly churning on open air, and he was falling into the infinite black. Falling into that opened maw filled with razor sharp fangs, and Heiji let loose a panicked howl that rocked the world.

* * *

This time when he woke up he jerked into it. As if his falling from the dream world had landed him in his hospital bed. The doctor was hovering near his head, something close to surprise plastered over his face. Relief flooded in Kazuha's eyes, and she ended up breaking down into a coughing fit.

"Ahou, visiting a sick person in the hospital with the flu." Heiji commented. He felt strangely...alright. As if his little episode had never occurred. In fact, he felt about thirty-eight times better than he did when he woke up before. Full of energy, alive. Heiji glanced at the clothes he had been clutching and pushed them into the bag.

There must have been a rational reason for the wounds. Not that a big wolf came out of nowhere and tried to tear him to shreds. Kazuha lifted her eyes from her coughing fit to give him a glare. She smacked him upside the head with the back of her hand, pretty lightly really but STILL. "Ahou! Don't you EVER scare me like that again!"

"You seem completely alright now, Hattori-sama..." The doctor said, staring at Heiji with that same surprised expression. Heiji rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I'm really tired." He said, a lie really. He didn't know WHY he said that, just that he didn't want the doctor prying any further into what had happened to him. Because that was for Heiji to figure out himself first. The teen rubbed his head even harder and sighed, "I bet if I get some sleep I'll be better."

"Yes, that would be good. I want to keep you for twenty-four hours or so to make sure you don't have an episode like that again. Hattori-sama have you ever had panic attacks before, or have you been prone to hyper-ventilating at the sight of blood?" The doctor asked, and Heiji actually burst into laughter. Kazuha rolled her eyes.

"No, he doesn't." She supplied, more for the sake of the poor doctor than anything else. He was still staring at Heiji with round eyes. Heiji could see thoughts churning behind those eyes, trying to find an instance where a patient could be in critical condition one second and then perfectly healthy the next. "He's a detective, blood doesn't exactly bother him."

"Yes well...I'm going to get some nurses to put you on a heart monitor just in case Hattori-sama." The man said, and began to back out of the room. "Afterwords you can rest, do not worry. The model of monitor we have now won't beep incessantly in your ear or anything. It's rigged upt to a computer monitor at the nurse's desk which will be under survelliance. It shouldn't bother you. Neither should the call-lights, since our doors are specially made. When they are closed they are virtually sound-proof, that's why the nurses have to leave the door open when taking care of patients."

He was just babbling because he was nervous really. Yet Heiji's mind latched onto that last part of the conversation. He couldn't figure out why, but something about it seemed important. It wasn't until the man backed out of the door, shut it, and began to whisper quickly to a nurse outside that Heiji realized why it was bothering him.

Because even though that door was supposedly soundproof...

He had heard those girls speaking, no WHISPERING with each other perfectly clearly. And now he could hear what the doctor was saying as well.

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_**Heiji's got super hearing!**_

_**XP **_

_**Read and Review, please, please, pleeeease!**_

_**Your feedback is important to me. :3**_


	3. It's Lycanthropy

_Disclaimer:_

_If I owned DC Heiji would hang about some more. :3 I also don't own any of the websites that Heiji peeked at :3_

_**Hey, I see that this has some favorites...**_

_**So I know that people LIKE this fic...**_

_**So if you guys like it PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEASE review?**_

_**It's like...fuel. Reviews motivate me, and I like to hear what you think? Don't make me beg. -already did- Lawl...**_

_**In case you all are curious, I actually DID search using all of Heiji's keywords. I also found those sites. :3**_

_**Akemi-Chan- Thank you sooo much for reviewing! -tackle glomps- New chapter? You bet, here ya go! -hands-**_

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_Chapter Three- It's Lycanthropy_

Kazuha was sitting on the subway with Heiji. He had been released earlier that morning, and though he didn't appear to be ill anymore at all...there was something wrong. She could feel it. Kazuha kept shooting glances his direction as he stared out the window at the inky black of the tunnel.

Not only that, but the silence that was draped between them made her feel uncomfortable. It wasn't as though Heiji was angry with her, and idiot would be able to see that much. Yet he was so deep in thought that she didn't even seem to exist at the moment. The thing that bothered her was that she could tell that whatever was going through his head it was bothering him.

* * *

Of course nobody was home. Heiji's parents were busy people, and he was definitely used to that by now. With forced cheerfulness he waved goodbye to Kazuha, ordering her to go home and get some rest so she could get over that cold of hers. Now, as he shut the door behind him almost hesitantly, he was glad for the fact that he was the only one in his house at the moment.

Heiji knew that if anyone knew what he was about to do they would think he was completely insane. Kudou, for example, would probably flat-out laugh in his face if he had any idea what was running through Heiji's head. But a detective had to exhaust EVERY lead, even the improbable ones.

So that was what had him going into his kitchen. Eyes sharply darting back and forth until he found something that could be used. Thinking of how utterly horrified his parents would be if they ever discovered him doing this, the teenager dug the wooden kabob deep into his hand.

Heiji yelped, pulling it out quickly by reflex and cutting himself even worse on accident. As well as spattering blood all over the countertop. Well that hadn't been all that thought through, now had it? He had forgotten that digging kabobs into your body tended to cause blood to come out. Hissing through his teeth he ran to the sink and turned the water on to run it over the wound.

Even as he did this he felt his eyes widen in complete surprise. As the water poured over the wound the blood flow began to ease, and it wasn't just because the water was washing it all away. Heiji lifted his hand out of the sink and stared in utter shock at the cut on his hand. It was beginning to scab over already.

The only thing different was the fact that the thing itched furiously. Heiji watched in fascination as the scab began to shrink, leaving only slight scar tissue. Even that, after a few moments, vanished completely. It looked as though Heiji had never stabbed himself in the first place.

Heiji's eyes darted to his watch. Five minutes. Five minutes was all it had taken for a wound that would have probably needed stitches normally, to heal. Heiji wondered if he had managed to dream the entire thing, but the blood spattered on the countertop and dropped on the floor disproved that notion.

_Holy...holy shit._ He thought, feeling a wave of slight dizzyness. _I've got...super healing abilities._

Saying it like that just sounded more farfetched than anything else. Heiji walked out of the kitchen feeling as though he were walking through some sort of dream. Only it was too real to be a dream. His mind was racing, trying to think of what possibly could be the catalyst for something like...like this.

_As far as I know I haven't always had this...no, I DEFINITELY haven't always had this. I didn't magnificently heal up after I got shot that one time. Hell, my wounds from the wolf certainly didn't heal this quickly at all. Not from that branch either...not until after..._No. He was insane. A bite from a wild animal didn't give you super powers. That was a thing in comics and horror movies.

_Let's think, Hattori._ He told himself, sitting down at his computer desk. He blinked in surprise, when had he come here? Yet he felt himself pulling up a search engine. His fingers lingered over the keys for a moment before he typed in, SYMPTOMS: Fever, lucid dreams, hyper-healing.

Pressing "Go" merely suggested that he had some kind of sleeping disorder, or that everything was due to his fever. So he erased everything but "Hyper-healing" and tried that. Which gave him some stuff about a video game character and something medical that involved a prototype medication of some sort.

He paused, and replaced "Hyper-healing" with, "Symptom wolf dream".

This proved to be as fruitless as the others. When, after a moment and not knowing exactly WHY, Heiji typed in "Wolf to man disease". He waited impatiently as the screen began to load.

At first he thought it was just as annoying as everything else. A bunch of garbage, nothing really scientifically provable. When a site called Wikipedia caught his eye. This particular page was in English, much to Heiji's brief irritation. Still, since he knew the language it wouldn't kill him. Hoping that Kudou would not somehow deduce that he ever looked on this site, Heiji clicked the link.

Heiji's eyes scanned the page, and he found himself strangely on the verge of panic for some reason. Heiji cursed himself. How idiotic was he being? The teen grimaced, and forced himself to continue reading. He learned that the werewolf was from Greek mythology, and that the legend had endured the passing of time relatively well. Werewolves were also called 'Lycanthrope's'. The disease was passed through the bite or scratch of another werewolf, or even by a curse. (At this Heiji rolled his eyes) Werewolves were known to have super-strength and senses...

Senses, like hearing through a door specially made to keep noise out. Heiji felt himself grow cold, but he shook his head. Detectives did not assume. All the facts had to be found and explored first.

Scrolling down he quickly read about the names. Heiji quickly jotted down "Lycanthropy" for a seperate search later, it seemed that this was an actual mental illness that some people had.

Reading about the common attributes of werewolves had Heiji chuckling softly under his breath and shaking his head. Things like unibrows, which he did not have, and fur beneath the skin. The animal version was most often portrayed as a beast that seemed completely like a wolf itself, except with no tail. Heiji's wolf had a tail.

Yet what he read next stopped his laughter short. '...that they retain human eyes and voice...'

Those eyes, which had been so intelligent. More intelligent than any animal's should ever have been. Those eyes, which had glimmered with emotions that Heiji had previously thought incapable of beasts. Those eyes, which he had thought of as eerily human.

He read more about Lycanthropy, the mental illness. There wasn't much in that, except that the man who had the disease claimed to have dreams where he was being chased by wolves or changing into a wolf himself. On more than one occassion he irrationally attacked innocent people, claiming he could remember exactly what had happened afterwords even though he appeared completely senseless at the time.

Typing in the search engine one last time he found himself on a site that boldy proclaimed; So you're a werewolf? So are we! As Heiji read it he couldn't help but get the feeling that it was probably somebody psychotic, who happened to have an interesting way of spelling the English word "bite". Yet he found himself becoming intrigued as he read.

Nothing about strange dreams, or hyper-healing, but there was something else. Psychological symptoms. Heiji found himself writing them down even though he didn't really believe in this. He couldn't POSSIBLY believe in this. He would have to be completely insane to do something like that. He murmured them as he wrote them down, "Craving for meat, abherrent social behavior..." Heiji snorted with a nervous laugh, "which can be anything from being a bit odd to being a homicidal maniac."

A blush formed on his face but he wrote it down none-the-less, every bit of information was helpful...so...so he could disprove this ridiculous theory of course! "An increase in sexual desire, rebelliousness and a mistrust of people who are the boss, animal mannersisms. Like...growling."

"Ahou!" Heiji scowled, and shut the computer off. Honestly, that he was even interested in that crap for an INSTANT was completely and utterly ridiculous. So ridiculous that he found himself furiously pacing acrossed the room. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, his palms sweating. It was when the pain started that Heiji realized there was something distinctly WRONG...

His heart was pounding in the way it had in the hospital. Only now blessed unconsciousness didn't come. Heiji found he didn't have the strength to stand, and he fell forward so that he was lying on the ground. A moan escaped his lips as a spasm tore through his muscular body, and he rolled over on his knees. Heiji propped himself up on his elbows and shut his eyes against the pain.

_I'm...really sick here._ Heiji thought. Pain ripped through him once more, particularly intense in his joints and muscles. His upper jaw ached terribly, and after a heartbeat Heiji realized that he could taste blood. No, it wasn't even as simple as that. Blood was pouring from his mouth onto the carpet. Heiji choked on it, but the pain prevented him from fixing anything.

"H-help..." Heiji croaked. Vision flickering, he prayed that it was unconsciousness at last. Or death, even that would be better than this agony. He could hear the tearing of fabric, and Heiji tossed his head back and screamed.

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"Ow." Heiji whimpered, somewhere along the line he must have momentarily blacked out. Thank goodness, he didn't think he would be able to psychologically survive if he hadn't. Heiji struggled to stand, but he felt as if he had been put through a grater of some sort. Heiji didn't think he ever felt hurt so bad in his entire life.

Strength flooded into his limbs very suddenly. Heiji sighed through his nose and sat up. Only...there was something wrong. Heiji knew it instantly. You didn't undergo such a massive change without noticing that something was up almost instantly. Sure, Heiji hardly FELT any different, but he was. VERY different.

"No, no...no..." Heiji breathed, shaking his head from side to side in disbelief. The youth gazed down at the floor where his PAWS were neatly tucked close to his body. PAWS. Big, and chocolate colored ones to be exact. Heiji's head snapped up, eyes seeking anything that could be even remotely reflective.

It wasn't POSSIBLE. There was no physical way for a person to change their shape. Where would their extra bones go? Where would the teeth come from, and what about all that fur? Nothing could really explain what was going on now. Heiji wouldn't have believed it for one second if...

If it weren't for the fact that he was quite obviously not human anymore.

"Damn!" Heiji said, for lack of anything better or truly intelligent to say. His heart was hammering inside his chest, his decidedly BIGGER chest. Heiji was much heavier than he normally would have been, not with fat but with muscle. Oh he was lean, but in a way that made him appear dangerous. Heiji experimentally lifted his lips in a snarl, and revealed jagged white teeth.

Panic. Heiji spun around with a strangled barking noise and began to pace back and forth frantically. His heart was pounding even harder now, but not in the painful way it had...before this had happened. Heiji was breathing hard too, panting as though he had run a thousand miles. "No, it's impossible. I just CAN'T be a werewolf, there isn't such a thing as lycanthropy except for a mental illness that makes people merely THINK they're werewolves! Nothing more! This is a dream! Ahou, of course it's a dream! I should have figured, I passed out after whatever happened to me!"

Even to him it sounded pathetic, and as if he were merely grasping at threads. Heiji flattened his ears against his head. He appeared exactly as the wolf lookalike of him had in his nightmare. Massive, covered in thick chocolate colored fur. A single black stripe ran from his muzzle to the tip of his tail, which had the appearance of being dipped in ink.

The sound of footsteps on the sidewalk outside of the house. Heiji's ears shot straight up and he froze. Even though he was in one of the back rooms of the house...Heiji couldn't possible hear that well could he? Yet the door opened, he could hear it, and with that a new kind of panic enveloped him.

What the HELL would his father think if he spotted a massive wolf in his house? Heiji looked around frantically, for an instant thinking that he should cram his massive werewolf-butt in the small space under his bed. This would have been stupid of him, and Heiji dismissed the idea instantly.

Then his heart was slowing. It seemed strange, since he felt like he should be near the verge of panic. The room began to spin around him, and Heiji stumbled and fell onto the ground. Was he going to pass out? But if his father found him like this...what would happen? He couldn't imagine it being something very good...

* * *

"Wake up!" The stern voice broke into his dreams, and Heiji jerked into consciousness. His father was standing over him, something like relief flashed in his eyes for an instant before they took on a look that was part curious, part the stoic person his father happened to be.

"I-I can explain!" Heiji exclaimed, hoping that his father would somehow understand him even if he WAS a massive beast. Then he noticed, a heartbeat after that hope became conscious to him, that he was waving his hands around. Heiji blinked, "Eh?"

"Son...why are you lying in the middle of the floor in the den...in the nude?" His father's eyes were locked on Heiji's, whose face flushed deeply with sudden embarassment and realization. Tou-san continued, rising to a standing position and coughing in his hand. "You know, Kazuha-chan often comes over...you shouldn't be doing such weird things. She could walk in on you."

The mere thought of that had Heiji's face flushing bright red, and feeling completely mortified he took off for his room. Heiji got himself into new clothing and immediately went to face his father. The man was examining something on the ground, and Heiji's stomach lurched sickeningly.

His torn clothing, and a pool of blood. Heiji realized that some of it was dried on his chin, and as he thought about it his upper jaw throbbed painfully. Heiji struggled to think of something to explain what had happened. Tou-san stood up, looked him straight in the eye, and then sighed. "I'm not going to ask."

Heiji felt a flash of appreciation for his father. Heiji could get irritated with the constantly working man, but it was the fact that he didn't dig too deeply into awkward situations that Heiji truly appreciated him for. Heiji silently cleaned the mess up, and threw the clothing away.

This was done in a completely mechanical way. Shock had descended on Heiji, now that the original excitement of his predicament had faded. He went into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Only to sit and stare at the wall blankly as his brain desperately tried to come up with what had happened to him.

He had the answer for it, but it wasn't what he wanted it to be. It sounded stupid, and insane. Heiji let his gaze drift to the telephone he kept in his room. Perhaps he should call Kudou? This was perhaps the hardest thing Heiji had ever been faced with, and Kudou would instantly dismiss the theory. He would come up with something better...

Yet Heiji didn't, because he knew that was the reason he wanted to call his peer. He wanted somebody else to tell him this wasn't possible so he could shove it in a box and put it under his bed. No, it was time to face it. He knew what his condition was. It was lycanthropy.

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_**Poor Heiji, he just had the metaphorical rug of logic yanked from underneath him...**_

_**I hope that I managed to keep Heiji in character...**_

_**As for his FATHER, I really enjoyed that bit put in there. You don't see much emotion shown by senior Hattori so he was kind of hard to peg...**_

_**Review, please! :3**_


	4. Killing Shadows

_Disclaimer;_

_Nothing is owned by me._

_**Sorry this took a bit for me to get to...**_

_**I got caught up with my other fanfic :3**_

_**Akemi-chan 815- We'll have to build the suspense before somebody discovers his secret. (if he IS discovered) That way it's more fun to write, and hopefully a little more enjoyable to read. X3**_

_**LOL- Hehehe, it was so much fun to write that particularly evil scene. Poor Heiji...-pats borrowed character-**_

_**MidnightSushiNinja- I think his dad kinda didn't want to know. One of those things where you're like; "I'm just not gonna ask..." X3 Here is an update for you. I hope you enjoy it. **_

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_Chapter Four- Killing Shadows_

A week had passed since the episode Heiji had experienced in his home. If it hadn't been for the torn clothes that he had hidden beneathe his bed...covered in his own blood, then he wouldn't have believed it to be true. He would have said it was a hallucination. That seemed the most likely option.

Yet all the evidence pointed to that, and really what stronger proof did Heiji need than changing into a wolf? What was it that Kudou always said to him? _"When you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."_ It was one of the things Kudou lived by, something that all detectives could take to heart.

Including Heiji.

Yet, what was impropable and impossible? Where was the line drawn between the two? Before Heiji would have confidently been able to tell somebody that monsters just didn't exist. Now, however...

"Jeez..." Kazuha said, snapping him from his thoughts. Heiji blinked at his friend, who was frowning at him from her seat on the metro-train they were riding on. Kazuha huffed with something like irritation, but Heiji thought he saw a glimpse of concern in her eyes. "Ahou, you weren't paying attention again! What's up with you lately?"

"Eeh? N-nothing!" Heiji said, attempting to laugh her off. But he knew that he wasn't acting like himself. Everytime he felt even the slightest hint of pain, panic would grip him and send him tearing off to be alone. What if he changed around the class or something? It was something Heiji would have not liked to have encountered.

"Ahou, do you really think you can keep a secret from me?" Kazuha asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Heiji felt a twinge of nervousness, and for the first time in his life he could truly understand why Kudou was so nervous about telling Ran the truth. If Heiji told Kazuha...what would it do to her state of mind?

He knew from experience that suddenly learning that werewolves existed could be quite shocking.

"Since when do I have to tell you everything, ahou?" Heiji said, careful to keep his tone slightly accusing but still in the range that could be considered teasing. "Every person has something they don't want to share with somebody else."

"But..." Kazuha said, but couldn't seem to think of anything to really say that could finish it. Heiji fell into his own silence again. Once more going over the research he had been pouring over since that night.

He wanted to tell Kazuha, badly. Heiji needed somebody he could talk to, somebody that would not freak out. Kudou would have been a choice, if it weren't for the fact that he would probably laugh in Heiji's face unless he found some sort of way to prove it. Besides, for some reason he didn't want to tell Kudou nearly as badly as he wanted to tell Kazuha. Maybe he should tell her...if he was a werewolf then there would be more right? Wouldn't it be safer to just tell her, so she could help protect herself? That is...if they were dangerous...and remembering the wolf in the woods...

"Heiji!" Kazuha warned, pulling him aside as a man stumbled slightly while walking down the aisle. He yelped a little as he slammed into Heiji, both of them smacked heads. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah..." Heiji replied, rubbing the sore spot on his skull and trying to get a good look at the man. He was staring at Heiji, surprise flashing in his eyes as he gazed at him. "Oi, are you alright Oji-san?"

"Fine." The man said, eyes widening ever so slightly as he took a step back. "Just fine. Ah...b-but this is my stop. So sorry for bothering you, sir."

"But..." Kazuha said as the man took off and darted out the doors. "I just watched him walk into the car...how strange. What do you think made him leave so suddenly, Heiji?"

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Onya felt a flash of fury that filled her veins with ice. Her ice colored eyes flashed as she stood up abruptly, her cloak swirling about her ominously as her anger changed the temperature in the air. It changed the pattern of the air currents when she did this, causing a strange wind to stir up behind her. "WHAT!"

"I-I followed Kuziki-san as I was ordered to, and discovered that he seemed to be tailing some sort of boy." The man before her trembled with fear until Kiria placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Glancing at her in thanks for her comfort he continued, "I was curious so I snuck onto the metro-car after them...I...he was a 'wolf. I know it, Onya-sama."

"But not a born brother, that is for certain?" Kiria said, worry flashing in her eyes. "This is very dangerous...through birth we seem to carry more control for the lusting but bitten...many people could be in very grave danger. You said this boy lives in Osaka?"

"Yes..." The man said, eyes narrowing. "But he was with a human girl at the time, and didn't look as if...well, as if he were trying to eat her or something."

"Then he must be a born brother, and you were mistaken." Onya said, her irritation flaring up but dissipating the cold that had descended on the room with her anger. She couldn't deny the relief she felt. "Or he most certainly would have been tearing her throat out..."

"Not neccessarily, Onya-chan." Kiria said softly, "There are times when the wolf goes to sleep...if the bitten hasn't accepted his other side that is. They must undergo the same ceremonies we do in our fifth year, the ceremony that makes one whole with their wolf...it is possible that the wolf has no say in how he is controlled."

"But something that powerful would be bound to break free of control." Onya observed. "That's it, I suppose, we'll have to kill the poor boy...Kiria-sama, do you think...is it possible that Kuziki-san was the one who infected this human? The one who broke one of our most sacred laws?"

Kiria's eyes flashed with something like sadness. "Yes, that is probably the case. Though I would like to question him before any action is taken...and Onya-chan? Do not move onto this boy's execution just yet...not until we find Kuziki-san and bring him to us to speak."

"That's dangerous..." Onya warned, but she saw the stubborness in her friend's eyes. As an advisor she could do little more than make suggestions. Onya turned to stare out the window. "Let's just not wait until too many people have been killed."

* * *

Paws pounded on the cement behind her. The teenaged girl didn't dare glance over her shoulder, for fear of seeing those burning eyes glowing in the darkness. Eyes that were terribly human for the beast that followed after her. As she rounded the corner onto another deserted street she felt her heart would burst from her chest. _Why? Why are all the streets so empty this night? This must be a nightmare! A horrible nightmare!_

But the breath, hot on the back of her neck...it felt far too real to be any kind of nightmare. Still, she found herself shutting her eyes as she ran. Begging the higher powers of life to make this some sort of cruel dream. Her prayer for help was interrupted abruptly as glistening fangs snapped like a trap around her calf. Pain seared through her, and she slammed to the ground with a panicked scream.

Glistening teeth flashed into view as the beast lunged for her throat. The last thing she heard was the click of teeth closing together before her whole world was washed with red.

_**

* * *

**_

An elderly man clung to the upper branches of the tree he had managed to climb. If somebody had told him that he, an eighty-nine year old grandfather, would have climbed a tree...he would have laughed in their face. If they had said the reason he was climbing this tree was because a giant wolf was chasing him, he would have committed them to an insane ward.

_If this beast doesn't kill me with his teeth..._The old man thought, glancing down at the glowing eyes below, _Then surely my heart will give out from fright._

The eerie thing about the beast, discluding it's massive size, were the almost human emotions it seemed to exhibit. He had worked with animals all his life, and never had he seen something look so intelligent. Though it was a terrifying intelligence that glinted in that gaze. The intelligence of one who is smart, but also terribly insane.

The old man blinked. The wolf, it had been there a moment before but now it was gone. Nothing but a few leaves floating aimlessly down to the ground showed that it had been there before. Was it possible that he had dreamed the whole situation up? He was old, but he didn't think he was that old quite yet.

A growl, a growl in the branches behind him. The old man stiffened, turning his head slowly to find himself face to face with that awful creature. A wolfy-grin split it's features, a tongue lolled out passed those dagger-like teeth. The old man's grip loosened on the tree, and he began to fall backward as the beast sprang forward.

Teeth snapped on his head, he died in a single instant.

* * *

Heiji moaned, and blinked open his eyes. It wasn't quite sunlight yet, and though he couldn't remember anything passed ten itself it felt as if he hadn't slept at all. The teen groaned as he sat up, and froze with horror.

His clothing was torn, and there was blood all over his chest. Panicked, he shoved the clothing under the mattress before running for the bathroom. Out of habit he found himself taking a sample of the blood and slipping it into a small baggy. Then he washed himself vigorously, his mind racing the whole time.

Was it possible...had he been a wolf last night? But he couldn't REMEMBER anything, and the first time he had changed he had been able to remember VERY clearly. His hands kept trembling, and he had to lean against the wall to make sure he didn't fall over. This...it was getting to be too much to bear alone.

It was easy enough to get back in his room and change into some good clothing. As he made his way downstairs he found himself blinking in surprise. His mother and father were both home, at the same time, for once. Watching the television. Heiji blinked, and sat down next to his father without a word.

"It appears as if some animal got at the victims?" The television announcer was asking a nearby police officer that Heiji did not recognize. Heiji blinked a little, an animal in the middle of the city? Why did he suddenly feel so cold?

"Whatever this was...it wasn't human." The officer replied grimly, "The victims appear to have been attacked by a large carnivore. We cannot determine what animal it is as of yet, but until the animal is in custody all citizens in the area are advised not to go out alone after dark."

"A tragic tale indeed." The announcer said, "Fifteen year old Yumi Karana and eighty-nine year old Okyo Ken were both healthy..."

"What happened?" Heiji said, feeling a cold sort of foreboding descend on him. He couldn't remember what had happened that night, those people...killed by a carnivore. Himself, covered in blood. "Some...some people were killed by an animal that is in the city?"

"It seems that way." Heiji's father commented, "They say that both of them were on their way home when they were attacked. Yumi-san was apparently coming back from a late band practice, while Okyo-ojiisan was returning to his home after going out to pick out a birthday present for his grandchild..."

Heiji hardly heard his father as he habitually said the facts of the case. Because the photographs of the two people had flashed onto the screen, and with a feeling of complete and total horror Heiji realized only one thing. That while he couldn't ever remember having met either of those people...he knew them. Recognized them, and all he could seem to remember was the terror in their eyes...

_**

* * *

**_

Kuziki balanced on the roof of the Hattori home as he listened to the inner workings. His subject was rather silent today, something had bothered him. Perhaps it was the news reports? Kuziki grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder. Not that the boy would be able to remember anything right off...

"Do you remember it then, Hattori-san?" Kuziki grinned to himself as he balanced on the balls of his feet, "The look of primal terror that flashes in the eyes of those being hunted? You felt that terror once as well, at my fangs no less...and you will be the leader of the army I use to finally take down the ridiculous rule that has it's chains wrapped around my race..."

Kuziki frowned. That would be all well and good...if this boy wasn't so odd. According to the old tales...the 'wolf was nearly uncontrollable for the bitten victim. Mostly because they were introduced the the mature wild side of themselves before growing to understand that part. It always took over, creating a nearly indestructable killing machine.

"And yet..." Kuziki frowned, remembering the previous night. Kuziki had even managed to make the first victim bleed, and all it had done was cause the boy to attack HIM. Kuziki winced, "Yet he won't attack the mortals? What is wrong with this one?"

It was true, while on the hunt last night Kuziki had found the wolf-form of Hattori Heiji. The boy had been confused, and a little out of it as well. It was clear that he hadn't accepted his 'wolf, he didn't run as fast as he should have been able to. Still, he'd encountered prey, fresh meat, and both times he'd attacked Kuziki for killing the people.

_Troublesome, troublesome, troublesome._ Kuziki thought to himself, crossing his arms over his chest. _I had to erase his memory for fear of him trying to turn me into the police. Baka...really what does he think the police could do against somebody like me? Still...I need him, and if he doesn't learn the ropes or accept his 'wolf he'll die. Simple as that._

"Let's have a little talk, Hattori Heiji." Kuziki said, and swung into the boy's room.

* * *

Out of nowhere a young man had jumped into his bedroom. Heiji didn't know what to do for a heartbeat, but then he rolled off of his bed and grabbed for his kendo equipment. One swift move brought him to a fighting stance with the wooden blade in hand. "Who are you?"

"Now I'm hurt, I can understand you not remembering last night..." the young man's dark eyes twinkled. "But I assumed the incident in the forest was something you wouldn't easily forget."

"Forest?" Heiji said, eyes widening slightly. Those eyes, those soulles almost black eyes. "You...it was...but...it was you wasn't it? The wolf that decided it would be fun to try and make a snack outta me. So, did you come back for more? Because believe me, I'm not in the best of moods with you."

"I'm here to help you...after all you are my pupil." The man said, Heiji narrowed his eyes but did not move. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Kuziki. To be honest with you I don't bother with a family name, it is sort of absurd to deal with such things as that when you can make a name for yourself after all."

"You...what is it that you exactly did to me?" Heiji finally asked. If this man wasn't going to be hostile to him he could at least get some information from him. Kuziki arched a single eyebrow at him, "You know what I'm talking about."

"I'll give you an explanation then. Pay attention, because I'm not going to repeat myself." Kuziki said, leaning casually against the window frame. "Countless years ago a disease swept through mankind. The result of this disease was the physical changing of a human being into the form of a wolf. This is called lycanthropy."

"The disease is passed on in many ways. The most obvious being from a bite or scratch. It can also be considered a sexually transmitted disease, and it passes through genetics as well. Eventually the infected people began to seperate themselves from society. They were violent, and the mortals were seen as their prey. As such, they were subjected to cruel tortures and massacres." Kuziki glared out the window, "So the people went into hiding. They wanted to seperate themselves from their violent natures of killing the people they loved."

"But even after trying to change themselves for the better they were not accepted. They eventually opted to stay in the shadows. Because of this, a select few gained the ability of sorcery...though I don't think that is of any importance to your particular case, Hattori-kun. They began to breed with each other, and our race flourished. Then..." Kuziki paused, and Heiji wondered if he would be forced to prompt the rest of the tale from him.

"Then...approximately a hundred years ago, it began. My kind began to bite mortals without restraint, and our population was filled with the overly violent creatures. You see, bitten lycanthropes have no control over themselves. They are violent, and blood thirsty. You may not feel like killing now, but your 'wolf side certainly does. It was because of how violent the infected mortals were that a new set of laws rose up. Forbidding all of us to ever bite a human, hunt a human, or kill a human without good cause. Not only are bitten lycanthropes often violent, but the blood of mortals is incredibly addicting. There is nothing like hunting intelligent prey..." Kuziki's face curved in a sickening smile.

"You...you said I would be out of control?" Heiji said, feeling sick. "So...it's possible that I wouldn't be able to remember...k-killing some people?"

"Nn? What's this? Do you remember our hunt last night?" Kuziki grinned and Heiji's stomach lurched with naseau. No, he hadn't taken a life...had he? "What a rush...you are quite strong for one who is holding back his wolf. I will be ever so honored to have you lead my great uprising. You will be my beta."

"Beta?" Heiji asked, but then blinked, "I didn't kill anybody."

He hated the fact that he doubted those words.

"Whatever reasoning you have." Kuziki shrugged, and Heiji felt a rush of anger. "Do not fret, Hattori-kun, I will teach you the ways of survival for our kind. There are many things that you do not know that even a pup would understand. For example, our aging process is severely slowed. We are not completely immortal, but for every ten years that passes for a mortal it counts as one year for us. Also, silver is not the only metal that can kill us. An unfortunate side-effect of our condition is that many metals act as a poison to us. Though silver is definitely the most severe, gold, lithium, lead, and steal are all deadly to us if left long enough untreated. A simple cut from a silver knife will have you dead within hours if you don't get treated properly."

"You're telling me these things...because you want me to run your army?" Heiji said, narrowing his eyes. "Because you broke the laws...not all lycanthropes are like you, are they? Not all are...monsters. Which means I don't have to be a monster if I don't want to."

"Oh, you are a monster." Kuziki sneered, "Believe me, you are. Once you let your 'wolf out their will be no stopping it. It's what we commonly refer to as the blood-crave. The lust. An uncontrollable state that comes upon a lycanthrope...those infected through the bite get this more than those who are born with it. Most that are born with it go through a blood-crave every ten years or so...those who are bitten...go through it about once a month. It's kind of where that fun little theory of the full-moon affecting our change comes from. It's very hard to hide a werewolf in the middle of a blood-crave..."

"Get out." Heiji snapped, "I'm not interested in you, or your teachings."

Technically a lie. Heiji needed to know about what he was, because he was clueless. Kuziki knew that, but that just made Heiji not want to trust him even more.

"The longer you fight your wolf, the more lust will build inside. It will break free without your permission, and you won't be able to control it. It will go on a rampage...and won't stop until it has died." Kuziki said, "And you don't know how to accept it, do you? But that's just too bad...I offered you my wisdom. Don't blame me when your little girlfriend ends up in your belly."

The man vanished, and Heiji was left alone in the room. Those final words echoed through his head, and he felt like he was going to be ill. Would he really...kill the people that he cared about?

_**

* * *

**_

Kuziki padded forward, his jet black paws making no sound audible to human ears. His pelt caught the glowing streetlights every now and again. The only times he was visible apart from the indigo color of his eyes. His eyes, which seemed to somehow shine even though they were almost as black as the night itself.

Kuziki's ears flicked back when he heard the clumsy scraping of paws against pavement. Turning his massive head he spotted Hattori, brown pelt fluffed up against the cold. The new 'wolf's eyes were heavily lidded, as they had been the previous night. He moved as though he were sleepwalking. Kuziki suspected he was.

"Found me again?" Kuziki growled, hoping to somehow waken the youth from his half-awake state. His only reply was Hattori's staggering to a halt. Those half-lidded eyes blinked very slowly, and a breath huffed from the wolf's nose. Kuziki twitched his ears, "Are you going to follow me around again? Do you...want to hunt?"

Of course there was no reply. Kuziki flattened his ebony colored ears before a sound directed his attention. He watched as Hattori slowly turned his head toward the noise as well, Kuziki merely sat on his haunches with his head tipped to one side.

"Are you sure we should be out this late?" Came the nervous question, a female. Kuziki's nostrils flared as he took in her scent, she was accompanied by a human male as well. The slight tang to her scent suggested that she was afraid. "They said on the news that we shouldn't be out after dark..."

"Don't worry baby." The man replied. Kuziki felt a wolfish grin spread acrossed his features. "They said not to go out ALONE after dark. We aint alone, are we now?"

"Foolish mundane." Kuziki snarled, swerving so that he began to pad after them. Hattori followed more slowly, paws barely skimming the ground. It seemed his hunting instincts were trying to work even in his sleep. Kuziki grinned, revealing his sharp fangs. "Being in a pair will not save you."

Ducking into some bushes brought him closer to his prey. They were walking down the sidewalk, the male's arm was draped around his companion's shoulder. Kuziki grinned to himself again. Lust filled him, like a burning fire. Longing to dig his fangs into flesh, to devour and kill consumed him. It would be easy to kill them both. Kuziki bunched his muscles, and prepared to spring.

When that idiot pup staggered right into their path. The girl screamed with surprise, and the male blinked in shock. "Wh...what the hell? Is that some kind of dog or something? What's wrong with it?"

"Baka..." Kuziki snarled, springing from the bushes. The male swung around to face him, putting Hattori behind him since Kuziki was showing rows of dagger-like teeth. Compared to the dream-like chocolate colored male, Kuziki was definitely more likely to be a threat. "I won't let you mess this up for me. They're MY prey..."

The girl bolted, and Kuziki sprang for her. The male got in his way though, blocking the lycanthrope's path by spreading his arms wide and standing in the way. Kuziki snarled, and shoved the male aside roughly. The man staggered, and crashed into Hattori.

The reaction was instantaneous. Hattori's pelt suddenly bristled, and he snapped his fangs shut on the man's arm. The victim shrieked in agony, and in trying to tear himself away he only managed to gore up his arm. Hattori's ears were flat against his skull, but as soon as he screamed those ears flicked up into an attentitive position.

Horror flickered in those eyes, and he released the arm as if he had bitten something hot. The wolf staggered back, "Wha...when?" He choked out, eyes flicking back and forth between the now bleeding victim and Kuziki. Kuziki felt a flash of confusion. The boy had just gotten a taste of blood...and he wasn't attacking?

Kuziki darted ahead, and grabbed the girl who had stopped in her tracks to watch in horror as her companion was mauled. She screamed as Kuziki dragged her back by her hair, and with a violent jerk of his head he snapped her neck. "No! Kisha!" The man wailed.

"You...you just killed her!" Hattori stammered, eyes flickering with horror and rage. "What did she ever do to you?"

"Looked delicious?" Kuziki replied, almost cheekily. He grinned at Hattori who snarled in his anger. His ears flattened against his skull. "Weren't you just about to do the same to that man over there...Hattori-kun? Do you remember it? The taste of your prey? Does it not make you yearn for more?"

Hattori seemed horrified for a moment, before flattening his ears again and lifting his lips in a snarl. The youth staggered back, and paused near the man who was trembling with pain. A whine tore from his throat, and Kuziki watched with interest as he slowly pressed his muzzle against the man's arm. Of course the prey recoiled, terrified, and this only made another soft whine escape the younger wolf's maw.

Bored with this watching game, Kuziki got to his paws and sprang at the man. Hattori yelped in surprise as he tore through the man's throat as if it were nothing more than paper. Kuziki lifted his eyes to meet Hattori's, "Don't fight who you are...Hattori-kun."

* * *

Shinichi sat with his chin cradled in his hand. A pencil tip was in his mouth, he did this out of habit while thinking, and his blue eyes were narrowed behind his false spectacles in concentration. The puzzle that was in his lap was something he found in the newspaper. He'd taken up the habit of doing them...if only to keep himself sane.

Being stuck in the form of a small child was something that could be incredibly taxing. The problem was, Shinichi happened to be the kind of person that longed for intellectual stimulation. Going to second grade while he could surpass most adults with his knowledge was NOT stimulating.

The particular puzzle he was doing had been placed in his notebook, so that if Ran were to glance in his direction she would assume 'Conan' was doing his homework. He just hoped she wouldn't try to come over here and help him or something like that. It was a little risky to be doing something like this...but everyone had their rights to guilty pleasures.

The ringing of the telephone cut off his concentration, and he lifted his sapphire colored eyes to glare at the instigator. Ran answered the phone, and just as Shinichi was about to go back to his entertaining puzzle she said, a little loudly, "Oh, Kazuha-chan...it's fine but...why do you want Shinichi?"

He almost fell out of his chair at the use of his name. Shinichi glanced up, curiosity burning in his eyes as he stared at Ran's back. After a heartbeat's consideration the shrunken detective carefully got off the couch and headed into the hall. A few tip-toes, and a turn of the doorknob later he found himself in the office of Mouri Kogoro, the famous detective.

Famous because Shinichi was his puppet-master.

Shinichi crossed over to the desk, thanking his luck that Kogoro wasn't in the room at the time. Carefully, so as to not bring attention to Ran and Kazuha, he lifted the reciever of the phone and started to listen in on the conversation. It was a little bad that he felt no guilt for doing this, such was one of the side-effects of being a class A snoop.

"I've never seen him act so strange." Kazuha was saying. Shinichi blinked, who was she talking about? Himself? Or was it Hattori? The latter seemed a more likely conclusion, considering who was on the phone. His suspicions were confirmed by her adding, "Heiji seems so jumpy lately. As if something bad is going to happen or something. He doesn't seem as if he's been sleeping..."

"So you wanted to get ahold of Shinichi to see if he knew anything...or to see if he could figure something out?" Ran asked. "I'm sorry, Kazuha-chan but I still haven't spoken with Shinichi recently. He's still out on a case or whatever...but if I do see him maybe I can ask him about it."

That wouldn't have helped anyways, since Shinichi had no idea something was wrong with Hattori in the first place. The youth pondered to himself, his curiosity piqued because of his automatic reflex to discover the truth of every situation. Unfortunately, due to his thought, he didn't notice the door being opened behind him before Kogoro loudly announced, "You brat! What're you doing on the phone!"

"Eh?" Shinichi said, panicked, he tried to cover the reciever to hide their voices. He knew in his logical mind that it was too little too late.

"Conan-kuuun?" Ran asked, her voice sounding stern. Shinichi felt himself begin to sweat. Facing down an irritated Kogoro and listening to a stern Ran all at the same time? What did he ever do to deserve being in situations like this? Oh yes, he stuck his nose into other people's business, like always. Shinichi heaved an almost tired sigh, "Have you been eavesdropping?"

"I just wanted to see what Kazuha-neechan wanted." Shinichi whined, putting his energy into making himself sound as child-like as possible. Whenever he did that he felt as if a little part of him was dying of humiliation, especially when he was around people who knew he wasn't a little kid. "Ne, Kazuha-neechan? If Heiji-niichan is so uncomfortable in Osaka maybe he can come and visit us?"

The statement was innocent enough for a child to ask, but Shinichi had his reasons. If Hattori was there in Beika he would have an easier time discovering what was up with him. "That's a brilliant idea, Conan-kun!" Ran said, and Shinichi couldn't help but smile. "Perhaps bringing Hattori-kun here will help him loosen up, Kazuha-chan!"

"He does seem to enjoy visiting Conan-kun..." Kazuha said, and Shinichi could almost hear the smile in her voice as she added, "Alright, we will come. I'll get Heiji there, do you mind if you help us find some place to stay for a few days?"

Ran agreed, and the girls quickly set up arrangements. Shinichi set down the reciever and grinned to himself in a satisfied way. It seemed that he would be having a fairly interesting weekend, so he probably wouldn't be needing his puzzles for awhile. Just as he was about to leave the room, Kogoro's fist crashed onto the top of his skull.

"OWWWIE!" Shinichi wailed, clamping his small hands on his head as he lept away from the man. "Oji-san that HURT!"

_**

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**_

_**YAY! Shinichi!**_

_**Yes, when it's from his POV he'll call himself Shinichi...**_

_**So don't get confused, he's still Conan. :3**_

_**Reviews, please.**_


	5. The Moon

_Disclaimer:_

_I don't own it. Sadly...-sighs-_

_**Sorry for how slow this is taking.**_

_**As soon as I'm done with Blind Sided this should pick up a little bit. ;3**_

_**Good lord, you know what I realized? I totally forgot Heiji's accent. O.o How did I manage that? Oh well, it'll pop up in the following chapters anyways. If I have the time I'll go back and fix the other ones as well.**_

_**I love writing this fic because the music I use for muse is all so angsty and dark! X3 Very intense indeed Heiji-kun... Though the two that most fit this fanfic on my iPod are Monster by Skillet (of course) and Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace.**_

_**Akemi-chan- Sorry this took so bloody long. I got my muse back after watching Underworld though. O.o**_

_**Cule- Yes, the thing about Heiji is that he tends to be very emotional, yet have a hard time reading the emotions of people that are friends to him. I always lovingly call him, and Shinichi at times, idiotic geniuses because the term rather suits them. They're so bloody smart, yet they sometimes can't see what's right in their face. -lesigh- As for why he's so worried about telling Shinichi...it has a lot to do with the fact that telling him is also accepting that it's happened. (In many ways Heiji is still in denial) The other reason he doesn't want to say anything is actually mentioned somewhere in this chapter. I think on the train...yeah, it's on the train X3**_

_**CrazyEgyptionSphnx- Alright awesome! -strikes pose- I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad you think my writing is so well done. That makes my day, you've got no idea how happy that made me to see that. X3 Anyways, here's a chapter for you.**_

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_Chapter Five- The Moon_

Onya stared at the 'wolf she'd asked to tail the changed boy. Surprise was running through her, as well as fear. Her blue eyes focused intently on the wall over his head, and he whimpered slightly. "Madame...I only just learned this news. I apologize...the boy, he is very perceptive. If I got too close he would sense me."

"I don't blame you." Onya said, darting her icey gaze to the young man in front of her. She glanced over at where Kiria was staring out at the almost completely full moon. Tomorrow it would be full...the fact that the boy hadn't gone mad with lust by now was surprising. But with the moon so close to being full..."What are we going to do?"

"Send them after him." Kiria said, "If Kuziki is having trouble guiding him then perhaps this will not be something so bad after all...and I'm curious...about how he hasn't killed yet."

"You heard her." Onya said, eyes darting to the startled 'wolf on the ground. He stiffened, before darting away to give the orders. He would know who they had been talking about. Hopefully, Hattori Heiji wouldn't go on a rampage in the city before he was found.

* * *

_Don't fight who you are..._The words were like a record playing over and over in his head. Heiji hadn't been able to sleep, he figured that was when he transformed into that beast. He couldn't risk that, couldn't bring himself to face a situation like that again. Heiji wasn't a coward, but he'd never ever wanted to kill somebody before.

Was that what he had been doing? Was he a murderer? Had he already killed?

They were questions Kuziki would not answer. The man had appeared before him again, and ignored everything Heiji had asked of him. His only message was that he should stop fighting the inevitable, and that he would be following him to Tokyo as well. To keep an eye on his little pup.

Heiji's eyes narrowed as he glared out the window. Kuziki had talked about him as though Heiji was his property or something. As if he were some sort of slave. The Osakan detective heaved an exhausted sigh, and rested his forehead against the glass. He hardly really saw the scenary flashing passed.

"Heiji..." Kazuha murmured behind him. He heard her, but pretended he hadn't because it sounded as if it was something that...well, wasn't meant to be overheard. Heiji had been hearing incredibly well lately, as well as seeing in the dark. Smells too became something stronger than they had ever been.

Would this ever stop? Or would he have to take measures against himself just to make sure people would be safe?

"We're almost there." Kazuha said, loud enough to let Heiji know she was addressing him. He turned around to blink at her and she looked nervous for some reason. "Heiji...are you feeling okay?"

"Ahou..." Heiji replied, rolling his eyes in an attempt to put his friend at ease. "I just didn't feel like leavin' town is all. Why were ya so bent on draggin' me out here anyways?"

Oh, he didn't want to go. For more reasons than Kazuha could ever hope to imagine. How could Heiji explain to her that he had been bitten by a magical creature, and that every night (or every time he let himself fall asleep) he transformed into a beast. A beast...a beast that could be killing innocent people.

"Ahou, I'm not dragging you ANYWHERE!" Kazuha said indignantly, glaring out the window. Heiji smiled softly, but even with Kazuha attempting to bring some normalcy to his life his stomach was churning with guilt.

Perhaps it was a good thing he was coming here. As the initial shock of what had happened to him was beginning to fade away Heiji needed somebody who he could talk to about this. He longed to tell Kazuha, but a part of him was suddenly afraid that she would...

Would think he was a monster. That or he'd see pity in her eyes, and Heiji didn't know if he could stand to see that. Then there was Kuziki...it was unspoken, but Heiji doubted that lycans were exactly open about their existence. Then this wouldn't have been such a shock to him. The detective narrowed his eyes.

Telling Kazuha...it could put her at risk just for knowing. Heiji glanced over at his friend, who was now muttering something about possibly getting him something to eat. She didn't notice he was watching her with a flat stare until she caught his eye, and blushed a little.

"Ahou, I'm not hungry." Heiji snorted. Kazuha vehemently denied ever saying such a thing before Heiji turned his gaze out to the slowing scenary out his window. The train was coming to a stop. The teen gripped the edge of his seat, his mind whirling.

If there was anybody he could tell...besides Kazuha for fear of her safety, then wouldn't Kudou be the most obvious answer? Kudou had his own life shaken up by 'the impossible' the day science transformed him into a small child. Heiji had a feeling his condition technically had something to do with science as well. It was a disease, and the reason it was probably interpreted as a curse was because it was covered up somehow.

_But how do I exactly get this out?_ The Osakan thought, eyes narrowing slightly as Kazuha grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him out of the train. _Walk up to him and say, "Yo! Kudou! Guess what? I got bitten by a wolf and now I can shapeshift and it's very possible that I'm the cause of some serial murders that have been floatin' 'round Osaka!"_

That, he had to admit, was what made him hesitate to tell the detective. Because he didn't want to face the fact that it was highly possible he was a murderer. Heiji had seen so many murderers in his life...The teen detective sighed, suddenly feeling ten times more tired than he had before.

"Kazuha-chan! Hattori-kun!" Ran's voice broke through Heiji's thoughts. The teen looked up from where he had been staring at the floor in intense thought. Kazuha and Ran clasped hands in greeting, giving each other bright smiles. Heiji glanced down at the shrunken Kudou.

Even with the heavy feeling in his chest he felt a stirring of excitement at seeing his old rival. A small smirk twitched the corners of his mouth as Heiji leaned down with his arms crossed in front of his chest. In a low voice he said, "Yo, Kudou."

"Shh..." Kudou's hissed reply made Heiji stiffen slightly. He never really meant to call the detective by his true name...it just tended to slip out when Heiji wasn't paying any attention. Nevertheless, the shrunken detective's eyes were narrowed in irritation and he hissed out, "Hattori...about those killings in Osaka..."

Heiji stiffened, and stood up so swiftly that it alerted both Ran and Kazuha to where he was standing. Heiji laughed, a nervous barking sound, and didn't dare glance down at Kudou to see what his reaction was over that. The teen's heart was pounding sickeningly.

"Kazuha said you were in charge o' gettin' us a place ta sleep." Heiji said, "I'm pretty tired..."

"We decided just to have you stay at the agency with us." Ran said, cold horror rippled down Heiji's spine. He had been hoping for a hotel...at a hotel he could have pulled strings to get a room as far away from Kazuha as possible. Not to mention the fact that...that he could hurt Ran, Kudou, or the old man.

"Heiji?" Kazuha said, sounding alarmed. "Are you alright?"

He started, snapping out of his shocked state at the sound of concern in her eyes. A nervous laugh escaped him as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y-yeah. I guess I was just surprised that ya would be so hospitable to us again..."

"Mou, Heiji it's not that surprising..." Kazuha complained, giving him a glare. Heiji chuckled, trying to hide his misgivings and put on a good front. He was so awful at lying though, and with Kudou giving him that narrowed-eyed look in the corner he found it was all the more harder to do.

"W-well we outta get goin'!" Heiji announced, "Don' wanna stand around the station all day, do ya?"

The group left willingly enough. Inevitably though, as soon as the girls began walking ahead and talking to each other excitedly about how to spen the day, Kudou gave Heiji a level glare. "What's with you all of a sudden? You seem a little on edge..."

"Eh?" Heiji said, the corner of his forced smile twitching slightly underneath Kudou's flat stare. Heiji snorted with irritation, giving the smaller detective a death glare. "What I should be askin' is why your lookin' at me like ya'd look at a suspect ya've gone and cornered."

"I'm not trying to be accusing." Kudou replied, narrowing his blue eyes slightly in a way that was VERY accusing in Heiji's opinion. "I'm just curious as to why you seem to be so uncomfortable at the moment..."

"Ya like watchin' people squirm, don'tchya?" Heiji said flatly in turn, bending down so that his eyes could be level with Kudou's. His shrunken peer kept his eyes locked on Heiji's, and for a few moments the two just remained that way. Heiji straightened, giving Kudou a defiant and slightly cheeky grin. "Are ya worried about me?"

"Barro..." Kudou hissed in irritation. The small detective shoved his hands in his pockets and looked ahead at the girls. He gave Heiji a look out of the corner of his eye before levelly adding, "It's not me who is worried about you."

"Eh?" Heiji said, suddenly confused. Somebody really was worried? The detective followed Kudou's gaze to where Kazuha and Ran were talking to each other animatedly. Heiji accidentally caught Kazuha's eye, she had been glancing back at them for some reason. She looked away quickly and Heiji asked, "Ya mean Kazuha?"

"No, I mean the pole." Kudou's sarcastic reply made Heiji's eyebrow twitch slightly in irritation, but the smaller detective only walked ahead and caught up to the girls. Heiji followed more slowly, suddenly given more time to think about his situation.

Should he tell Kazuha, or shouldn't he? Should he tell Kudou or shouldn't he?

If Kudou's situation was anything like this Heiji would have to ask him just to see how his peer wasn't going completely and totally mad from the inner turmoil such questions brought up.

Heiji stiffened suddenly, a scent had just carried to him across the street. He spun, green-tinged eyes raking the group of people until he spotted somebody. Someone leaning on a pole in the shadows, with an amused smile curving his lips.

Kuziki, so he had followed him. Heiji's heart was suddenly hammering in his chest, and it hurt. The teen shut his eyes tightly, willing the feeling to go away. If he changed...here, now...people would undoubtedly get hurt. Just because he was frustrated with Kuziki...was every big emotion going to possibly trigger a change?

If that was the case a person like Heiji would be changing into a wolf at the drop of a hat. He tried to calm his breathing.

"HATTORI!" Kudou's irritated yell made him jump, so violently that he had to catch his balance or risk falling on the concrete. Kudou was looking at him strangely, and Kazuha and Ran both looked slightly concerned. Kudou said, in a slightly veiled voice, "We're going into the store now."

"O-oh." Heiji said, eyes darting back to where Kuziki had been standing. He was gone now, it seemed. Heiji turned and gave the girls a false smile. "Sorry, I just kinda zoned out for a bit is all..."

_**

* * *

**_

Kazuha hadn't been kidding, Shinichi knew that now for sure. There was something up with Hattori all right. Shinichi didn't have to be an amazing detective to know that much. Any idiot on the street would be able to notice that Hattori's nerves were stretched tighter than a wire.

_It's about that case too._ Shinichi thought, remembering the guilt flashing in his rival's gaze as he had brought the question up. Plus the way Hattori had steered the conversation clumsily away from that topic. Shinichi glanced over at his dark-skinned friend.

Hattori was deep in thought, and that was about the seventh time in as many minutes that he'd just slipped out of the conversation. Shinichi doubted he even noticed that Kazuha and Ran had stopped speaking. Which was SAYING something, since detectives had a habit of being observant even if they were deep in thought.

It meant that whatever was on Hattori's mind was distracting indeed. Was it possible that he was thinking about the case in Osaka? It seemed like they were just animal attacks, but Shinichi had a feeling that they weren't crimes committed by some wild animal. There was something more to it than that.

If Hattori was so troubled with that case though, then why wasn't he asking Shinichi for his input? Hattori was a proud detective indeed, but he'd never had any qualms with asking Shinichi's opinions on something before. No, there was something about that case that was personal.

_Perhaps he knows the culprit...or has a good idea who the culprit is._ Shinichi thought, narrowing his eyes slightly in Hattori's direction again. _And it's somebody close to him. In that case he might feel like he has to investigate on his own..._

But that idea didn't FEEL right. There was something else about Hattori...something that kind of reminded Shinichi of somebody. He couldn't place it, it was dancing just beyond his grasp irritating the snot out of him. Shinichi had a feeling that when he figured it out he'd feel like an idiot for not noticing sooner.

The bell to the door of the restaraunt rang, and Hattori jumped and looked in the direction of the sound. Shinichi followed his gaze, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Hattori seemed to think as much too, because he relaxed, and went back into his deep thoughts.

Shinichi realized it with a jolt then. It was paranoia, and the person Hattori was reminding him of was HIMSELF. Hattori was acting as if he expected somebody to be watching him, stalking him in the shadows. Shinichi's eyes narrowed, his mind immediately leaping to the men in black that had cursed him with this small form.

Was it possible they had somehow found Hattori? Were they blackmailing him? If that was the case though, Hattori wouldn't have taken Kazuha around him and Ran. That would only put them all in danger. Shinichi relaxed, realizing with a twinge of embarassment that he had done a smaller version of Hattori's jumping up when the new customer entered the restaraunt.

"It's getting late..." Ran said slowly. They had been waiting for awhile, since Hattori hadn't been eating at all. The atmosphere at their particular booth was very awkward, but when Ran spoke directly to Hattori he seemed to snap out of his thoughts enough to take stock of his surroundings.

"Ah...It's dark already..." Hattori said, looking slightly sick to his stomach. Shinichi glanced over at Ran who looked concerned. Kazuha was leaning across the table and placing her hand on Hattori's forehead. Hattori blinked in bewilderment, and tried to jerk away, "Wha- Kazuha!"

"You look sick..." Kazuha pursed her lips, "Mou, Heiji if you weren't feeling well I would have let you stay at home. Remember what happened the last time you were running around with a fever? Ah-le? You don't...feel all that hot though."

"I'm just a bit dizzy." Hattori's irritated retort came out in a tone that was angrier than Shinichi would have expected from him, and he grabbed Kazuha by the wrist to take her hand away. He, Ran, and Kazuha all looked at the dark-skinned detective in slight shock. Shinichi knew that SOMETHING was wrong. Hattori was breathing heavily, and he had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Heiji..." Kazuha said, sounding more worried than wounded. The door opened again, and Hattori looked around again. This time when he saw who was there he remained tense, his eyes narrowed in something very close to hatred. Shinichi's eyes darted to the person in confusion.

A man, one who was looking at Hattori with definite recognition. He even lifted a hand up to wave to the Osakan, a gesture for the dark-skinned detective to go with him. Kazuha squeaked, and Shinichi looked back in time to see Hattori staring down at Kazuha's wrist in surprise. He'd squeezed her hand tightly enough to hurt apparently. Hattori dropped her arm like it was hot before practically leaping out of the booth.

"S-sorry." Hattori panted, "Gotta go talk ta this guy."

With that Hattori turned to go, and Shinichi ducked under the table so that he could crawl under it and follow him. However the detective caught Shinichi by the back of his collar and handed him to Ran. Hattori seemed to be acting with special care...as if he thought both he and Ran were especially fragile.

"An' don't let 'im follow me." Hattori said firmly, giving Shinichi a flat glare. "Which means that ya don't let 'im go Nee-chan, or he'll just pitter-patter after me. This is a private conversation an' it aint any of your business. Got it?"

Shinichi glared at Hattori as the teen got up, and walked towards the man who had entered the building. Shinichi watched them both duck outside, into an alley and longed to run after them. Still, Ran was keeping a very firm hold on him. Shinichi scowled, curiosity was burning him alive.

"Are you alright?" Ran asked. Shinichi glanced over at Kazuha who was rubbing her wrist tenderly. The girl seemed a bit surprised, but Shinichi doubted that she had more than a slight bruise if anything would show up at all.

"Yeah..." Kazuha muttered, "I don't know who that man is. I wonder...what he wants with Heiji."

"If you put me down I'll find out for you!" Shinichi announced in a child-like voice, "I can hide REAL well Kazuha-neechan, and I could listen to what they were saying to make sure that Heiji-niichan wasn't in some kind of trouble with a weird man like that!"

"He said that it was private, Conan-kun." Ran said sternly. Shinichi's gaze flattened with irritation and he sighed heavily. To Kazuha she added gently, "I'm sure it's just something to do with a case. Have faith in him, Kazuha-chan. He'll be alright."

There was a small pause, and Shinichi felt slightly uncomfortable as Ran and Kazuha were only staring at each other. After a moment, Ran stood up and announced, "Let's go make sure he's okay then Kazuha. So that you can feel better."

Kazuha blinked, and nodded her head in relief.

* * *

Heiji was fighting the feeling, the urge, that burned through him. The change. He hated that, and hadn't changed while conscious since the first time. He didn't EVER want to repeat that again, and he certainly didn't want to be a wolf prowling the city streets either.

Kuziki's prescence only made it worse. Heiji could tell that he wasn't the only one feeling so antsy, there was something about Kuziki as well. It seemed like the other 'wolf was on edge, his eyes were darting around every now and again and a growl kept rising up in his throat.

"Ya wanted me." Heiji finally growled out, irritated by the silence that surrounded them. Kuziki gave him a wolfish grin, Heiji noticed that his teeth were pointed.

"Do you feel it? The power of Mother Moon?" Kuziki purred, and Heiji found his eyes narrowing slightly. "The beast loves the moon. After all, they sing to it the beautiful songs of our lives...why is it, do you think, that mundanes misintrepted our legend and said we could only appear at the full moon?"

"How the hell should I know?" Heiji growled, his irritation bubbling inside him.

"It's because the change is impossible to fight on the full moon." Kuziki barked out a laugh, excitement flaring in his eyes. "There will certainly be a slaughter tonight. The moon gives strength, power. Can't you feel it, Hattori-kun? Soon we'll be hunting the streets."

Heiji had been doused in cold horror. He would change? Even if he was awake? Even if he tried to fight it? He stepped backwards, alarm coursing through him when he suddenly scented Kazuha, Ran, and Kudou at the mouth of the alley. Kuziki laughed with joy.

"Prey is coming!" Kuziki whispered the words, his voice growing hoarse as the change started to coarse through him. Heiji whirled, running down the alley so quickly that it startled both Ran and Kazuha. He hauled Kudou into the air, and held him under one arm, and grabbed Kazuha by her wrist.

"Let's go, I don't wanna talk to 'im anymore." Heiji said, trying to hide the panic in his words. If Ran tried to go back there and attack Kuziki then she'd end up just getting herself killed. "Don't bother Nee-chan, he's an ass but he's not any trouble. Let's go ta the agency now."

He all but ran then, and Ran had to pick up speed just to catch up. When Heiji thought they were finally a good distance away from Kuziki he finally stopped. It took Ran a moment to catch up to them, and though she was gasping for air he wasn't even out of breath.

_Heh, good thing about being a werewolf number one._ Heiji thought, _Ya have good stamina._

"What was THAT about?" Kudou asked him, narrowing his eyes. Heiji shrugged, unable to come up with an answer that the small detective would ever consider sufficient. Kudou's eyes narrowed further, and Heiji looked over at Kazuha.

"Ya okay?" He asked, worried that he had hurt her wrist again. In his panic he may have accidentally forgotten about his new strength, but she only gave him a reassuring smile. Heiji realized, with a slight blush, that he had only asked her before turning to look down at Kudou. "Sorry for scoopin' ya up like that kid. I just didn't want my...acquaintence ta have the satisfaction o' meetin' someone that clever."

"Who WAS that guy Heiji?" Kazuha asked. "He seemed so strange..."

Heiji opened his mouth to reply when a wave of agony swept through him. He gasped, pitching forward so suddenly that he actually fell down. After a moment he got up with a wheezing nervous laugh, trying to get them to stop looking at him so strangely. "G-Got ya...ya thought...I was actually hurt..."

He had forgotten, that he was supposedly unable to fight any sort of change. Awake or not, he was going to become a wolf. And if he didn't leave soon it was going to happen right in front of everyone. He had to leave, and he had to leave NOW...

"Heiji..." Kazuha's concern for him was only going to make things difficult.

"C-crap, ya know what?" Heiji barked out another nervous laugh, "I forgot somethin' back there with that jerk. Now I gotta go an' get it. Go on ahead ta the agency. I gotta go get that thing, it's important."

With that he darted away, with his acute hearing he was able to catch Kazuha's words to his retreating back. "But Heiji...that's the wrong way..."

Heiji hardly cared enough. He wasn't focused on paying attention to what direction he was going. He was focused on getting away. He hailed a taxi, ordering the driver to take him to the most isolated place possible. The man gave him a weird look, until Heiji all but showered him with everything in his pockets.

"Hurry..." Heiji panted, his words coming out hoarse. As moments passed Heiji could see the driver growing more and more tense. Fear filled the car, Heiji could literally smell it. After a while the man halted, and mumbled out a few directional words to Heiji before throwing his bills back at him. Heiji stumbled out of the car, and ordered the guy to leave. The man peeled out, probably instinctually becoming afraid of him.

_Cause I'm a monster._ Heiji thought with a harsh laugh. Pain tore through him as he all but threw himself to the ground. A scream tore through his throat, and he wished with all of his heart that it wasn't happening. That he had never gone on that damned walk through the woods. That he was a basically normal highschool student, minus the murder cases he could stumble into.

He wasn't isolated, this was a street. People could get hurt here, though it seemed fairly empty now. The detective crawled forward, and pulled himself into a standing position. The teen looked around blurrily, _Why...is it so empty over here?_

Almost as if in answer a white suited person flew overhead. Heiji let out a growl of irritation, pain flashing through him when he realized exactly who that was. Kaitou Kid, so that was why Kudou had seemed slightly grumpy when they met up earlier today. He'd missed a Kid heist because of his visit.

_Damn._ Heiji thought, noticing that the thief seemed to have spotted him. At that instant headlights lit Heiji up from behind. The teen didn't have any time to react before the car slammed into him.

Heiji was thrown through the air, but he was surprised by how very little it hurt. He smacked into the garden wall, and slid down. The car seemed to have gained more damage than he did, Heiji noticed, it had a rather large dent in it's hood.

_Whattaya know...good werewolf thing number two. In the event a car and a werewolf have a head-on collision the werewolf wins._ Heiji laughed inside his head at that, pain pulsing through him. The man drove off, leaving Heiji to die if he had been any other person in the world.

"Oi, are you alright?" Kid asked, landing in front of Heiji. Heiji stared up at him, not knowing whether to be shocked that the thief had stuck around after all that, or that he had been asked such a normal question by him. The phantom thief arched an eyebrow at him, "Ah-le? You're one of Tantei-kun's..."

"Ge' 'way..." Heiji growled out, the words sounding garbled. He stumbled to his feet, a trapped feeling rising in his chest when Kid's gloved hand was firmly placed on his shoulder.

"Listen, you've just been hit by a car." Kid said, "And there are police just around the corner. I doubt they'll even notice you if I'm not hanging around. It's that scenario of if people are looking for one thing they'll miss another obvious thing. Which means I need to hang out with you to get you help. Nobody gets hurt on a heist of mine."

"Technically not ya heist." Heiji snarled. Kid blinked, and Heiji realized that there was blood in his mouth. No doubt his fangs had come out. Fear pulsed through him as he stumbled away, shoving Kid so hard that the thief was sent sprawling.

Heiji's knee's buckled beneath him. Snapping noises filled the air, and he could hear tearing sounds. _No!_ Heiji thought, the word actually tried to explode from his mouth, but it came out as a garbled howl of agony. He rolled away, trying to at least pull himself into the shadows.

Kid was staring at him, barely concealed shock on his features. The guy would have to be inhumanly good at hiding emotions if he didn't display surprise at something like this. Heiji feared he was going to kill the thief, or the police would come and find him.

"Ruuuun..." Heiji got the word out, though it was pitched because he screamed in agony when it came out. "Get outta here...an'...take ya followers with ya."

The thief only stared as Heiji finally lost it, and the change flooded through him. Pain was washed away as he was panting in the street. His clothing fluttered around him in shreds, and he felt fear coarse through him. He had to run away, or he'd probably kill that thief.

Heiji staggered to his paws, trying to ignore the way his bones ached so badly. The wolf whirled, and with a barked out snarl he leaped over Kid's head. The thief hadn't moved from his spot, and Heiji didn't look back to see if he was watching as he pelted down the street. He exploded out the other side, leaping into the air as a police car came around the corner.

He landed with all four paws in the center of the hood. The surprised eyes of Nakamori-keibu stared back at him for a heartbeat, but then Heiji was scrambling over the top of the patrol car. He sprang to the next one, and the next. His mind whirling with the desperate need to get away from people.

The next car he landed on had a driver that tried to throw him off immediately. Heiji's claws splayed out, trying to grip the metallic hood of the car in desperation to remain on. Instead he rolled off, going head over tail until he landed in a heap of brown fur on the concrete.

Doors were opening up behind him, he heard surprised hisses. "Is that...Kami, is that a WOLF?"

"Either that or one big ass dog." Another officer darted in surprise. Heiji scrambled to his paws and pelted away, picking up speed as he ran.

He was surprised by how quickly he left the officers behind, but silence didn't come to his ears as he exploded around the corner. Heiji tried to skid to a stop, alarm arching through him as he slammed full-on into a group of teenagers on a late-night walk after a movie.

"What the HELL!" One of the boys yelled, scrambling away from Heiji. Heiji yelped as one girl's hand came very close to his muzzle. He snarled in warning, and leaped off of them. The wolf's eyes darted around in panic, realizing with horror that he was completely surrounded.

"What IS that?" That was one of the teenagers.

"Is it a dog?" Somebody asked.

"Hey boy, it's okay..." A man gently said, approaching Heiji from the side. Instinct raced through him faster than his mind allowed, and his teeth were snapping at those outstretched fingers. Heiji only just jerked his muzzle back in time. The man had pulled his fingers away. "It's dangerous!"

Heiji spun around, and barrelled through the crowd. Screams followed after him as he ran down the street, desperately searching for a place. Any place he could hide. Suddenly a shrill howl sounded to his left, and Heiji found his eyes flicking over to the side.

"K-Kuziki-san!" Heiji yelped.

"It TALKS!" A girl yelled in surprise, startling Heiji. He turned to stare at her, he hadn't realized that he would be able to talk with people in this form. He knew he could talk to Kuziki but...the wolf whined, a low sound that rose in his throat.

"You've caused quite the rampage!" Kuziki replied jovially, teeth snapping at a passerby that got too close. The woman that had noticed Heiji could talk was staring between them both with a look of complete and total shock written on her features. "I think I'll forgive you for taking my prey away earlier."

Anger pulsed through Heiji. No, he wouldn't let Kuziki target his friends. A snarl rose in his throat, and Kuziki's eyes darted to the girl who was standing, still shocked that there were talking wolves running rampant in the city. Alarm flared through Heiji as the wolf bunched his muscles and sprang.

Heiji met him in the middle, and the rage that pulsed through Kuziki was clear by more than just the vicious snarl that tore violently from his throat. The wolf snapped at Heiji's throat, burying his teeth in his shoulder. Real pain tore through Heiji, and the chocolate colored wolf only got Kuziki off by slamming his hindlegs into his side.

Heiji struggled to his paws, standing in front of the girl who was staring in complete shock now. Kuziki snarled, showing his fangs to Heiji and lifting his tail in dominance. "Back off pup, that prey is mine."

"Killin' is murder, even your huntin'." Heiji replied in a level voice. "She aint ya prey."

Something whizzed through the air near Heiji's head. The wolf jerked back, blinking in surprise when he noticed that the police were there. Guns were aimed in his direction, and they were firing. Heiji felt some pain race through him as the bullets buried into his flesh, and Kuziki backed up with a snarl on his muzzle.

"You won...this time pup. But by the Mother Moon, you'll regret this." Kuziki's snarl flashed in the darkness. "Keep a close eye on your mundane pups, or they might end up with their entrails in my belly."

With that the black werewolf darted into the night. People screamed, but by the sounds of it he was leaving for the night. Heiji felt relief flood through him, he'd saved somebody...and he didn't want to kill these people. As far as he could tell he had his usual head about him, just...a little bit more on edge than he normally was.

"Ya okay?" He asked out of habit, and noticed the fear in her eyes. A pang went through him, and he backed away with a small whine. The guns were still being fired at him, and though he didn't think they'd be able to really kill him unless the bullets were made of special material, it still hurt to get shot. Heiji backed away, "I'm sorry..."

"No..." The girl said in surprise, looking at him in shock. Heiji jumped over her head, and ran through the crowd. Back the way he had come, hoping that he'd be able to work around Kid and get to the docks where he could be in peace before he finally could change back.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Poor Heiji...**_

_**He doesn't like to be a werewolf at all D: Well, except for those two points I guess X3**_

_**But at least he realized that he didn't feel like killing anybody at that particular moment. He was just all panicky and wanted to run away.**_

_**Lawl, poor girl, hearing these two giant wolves start conversing with each other DX**_

_**And poor Kid, getting randomly tossed into this chapter like that. I wanted him to be the first to ever see Heiji change. It'll be something our dear Kaito is sitting on in later chapters. I picked Kid since he doesn't really personally know Heiji all that well. :3**_

_**Well anyways we're FINALLY getting close to the plot of this story. (It's there, hiding in the shadows right now) So hopefully soon we'll pick up some speed. **_

_**Review please X3**_


	6. Morning After

_Disclaimer:_

_All I own are my characters and the plot_

_**RAWR! **_

_**X3 I'm really into this fanfiction now...**_

_**I would be updating it faster if I didn't have a ton of others on my plate.**_

_**Akemi-chan- He didn't because...I don't know why. He didn't want to I guess, sometimes the characters just steal my train of thought. Blame him X3**_

_**OK- Hmmm...I dunno...let's call her Kari. X3 There, now she has a name. **_

_**crazyEgyptianSphinx- X3 Ah, but that's just not noticing a little thing. Heiji can't see that he's head over heels for Kazuha, and he's a FANTASTIC detective. You've got a shot yet :3**_

_**Lil' EyeCandy- Is it angsty? Heh...that's so odd for me. Or is it? I rather like writing dark fanfiction, so I guess angsty stuff wouldn't be so surprising. So yeah, I guess that's to be expected. Lawl, I didn't even do it on purpose. X3**_

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_Chapter Six- Morning After_

When Heiji woke the next morning he was aware only of the fact that he was in an incredible amount of pain. He remembered...something about fleeing police the night before. Heiji sat up, a shiver going through him along with a rush of embarrassment.

He was going to have to find some clothing, the sooner the better. The detective glanced around, trying to get some survey of his surroundings. He could hear water...the docks? Yes, he was in a cargo shipyard of some sort. Which meant that...well, at least there weren't many bystanders to discover him in his rather...erm, awkward predicament.

As if summoned by the thought, a small group of people rounded the corner with an elderly man. Heiji could hear them even though they were well out of normal earshot. The man was saying, "The lad was just lying there, stark naked of all things. There, see, he's right over there! He's awake too!" The man added, in a yelling voice, "Ooooi! Young man, don't move from there! I got you some help!"

"Ah..." Heiji said, flushing when he realized that the two officers were ones that he recognized. Takagi-keiji and Satou-keiji, two of the people that ended up helping Kudou out on his cases every now and again. (Though in all honesty they probably would have rather believed it to be the other way...and they had no idea just how much they saw Kudou either)

"Ha-Hattori-kun!" Takagi yelled, clearly not expecting to see him here. Heiji coughed and flicked and uncomfortable glance in Satou's direction, she was politely facing the other way, before the male police detective let out a yelp and handed him the folded up blanket he was carrying. "Wh...what in the world happened? What are you doing out here, Hattori-kun?"

"Uh..." Heiji said, trying to think of something viable to bring up as an excuse. After a moment he let out the thing closest to the truth he could get, "Well I don' really know how I got at the dockyard here that's for sure...eheheh..."

"You don't seem to be injured." Satou calmly stated as she leaned over to get a good look at Heiji. Heiji felt a flare of relief that he was properly covered up now, it was still embarrassing that he happened to be in the nude at the moment. The youth sighed.

"I'm fine I think." Heiji thought, trying to think of something. "I...ah, can't really remember how I ended up here Satou-keiji. Is it alright if I find a place to get some clothing and then head home? I'd rather not let them figure out that I ended up in this embarrassin' situation."

The two officers exchanged a glance, and Heiji felt a twinge go through him. So this certainly wasn't going to be kept a secret, he could figure that much out. The two of them happened to be too worried about him and the oddity of such a situation to let it slide so easily.

"Sorry, Hattori-kun." Takagi said as Satou went off to the side to try and get a hold of the detective agency. Heiji was practically squirming with the urge, no, instinct to just bolt away from this situation. The lycanthrope heaved a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself.

With the moon still so full...he could feel the change humming beneath his skin even though the sun had long since risen. Heiji guessed that it would remain that way too, at least until the moon waned some more. The Osakan could only hope that it wouldn't be too difficult for him.

_And if I'm forced to change again tonight? _Heiji thought to himself, a question that he truly didn't want to answer. The teen shuddered, glad for the fact that he could blame it on him being cold to hide his internal discontent.

Satou snapped her phone shut, eyeing Heiji critically for a moment before calmly stating, "I would feel more comfortable if we were to take you to a hospital, Hattori-kun. However…if you really think that you're feeling alright then…"

"I'm fine." Heiji said, purposefully speaking in a manner that wouldn't let her think he was hastily jumping on her proposition. Satou stared at him for a few moments, perhaps wondering if she could see if he had any physical damage done. Heiji remembered his run in with the car, and self-consciously ran his fingers through his hair.

As he'd suspected the wound was gone, but there was still dried blood in his hair. Heiji glanced up again, and forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm just fine Satou-keiji."

"He doesn't seem to have a concussion or anything like that." Takagi stated, peering into Heiji's eyes. The teen felt a strange hostility over that eye-contact, as if a part of it found the officer to be challenging him or something. Uncomfortable, Heiji glanced in the other direction.

"Alright, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on you." Satou said, her gaze softening slightly as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "The car is just this way, Hattori-kun. We'll take you to the agency."

"Thanks." Heiji said, and he truly meant the words. The teen risked that strange feeling again and found himself glancing up to look her in the eye. A small smile quirked the edge of his features, and he hoped it would be enough to hide his continuing unease.

How the hell was he going to explain this to Kudou? Heck, how was he going to explain this to KAZUHA? Forget Kudou, she was going to be incredibly hard to convince that nothing was wrong. Especially after this. Heiji slid into the back seat, and pulled the blanket closer around him.

The drive to the agency was altogether too short for Heiji, and he didn't have a chance to come up with a single thing that could explain what had happened between the time he basically ditched the group last night, and the moment he woke up in the harbor.

The Osakan remained in the car for a heartbeat, and before he had a chance to step out on his own the door was opened, Heiji jumped, and his eyes reluctantly met Kazuha's. They were, all at once, blazing with fury and filled with a strangely intense amount of concern. She opened her mouth, and he unconsciously pulled the blanket tighter around himself and put on an uneasy smile.

"Oh…hi Kazuha." He said, his nervous smile becoming something more similar to his trademark grin. It was the only thing he could think to say, and even he realized that it wasn't the right thing to say at this time.

"HI KAZUHA!" She all but shrieked the words. Kazuha leaned forward, her green tinged eyes sparking a bit as she glared at him. "Ahou! I've been worried about you, do you not understand that? Where have you been…and…and…"

Kazuha trailed off, and Heiji found himself flattening his gaze at her as he watched her struggle to find the words she had lost. Her cheeks were suddenly tinted pink, and she looked away. She tapped her index fingers together as she did this, looking at anything but Heiji for a moment.

"Where in the world…ah…Heiji why aren't you wearing anything?" She asked. Heiji felt color rush to his own cheeks, and he was suddenly leaping to his feet. He was extra careful to make sure that hew as completely covered by the blanket as he did so, and using his free arm he pointed an accusing finger Kazuha's way.

"Ya peeked didnchya?" Heiji exclaimed. Kazuha's mouth dropped open and she turned an even brighter shade of pink as she leaned away from him with a look of surprise on her face. This quickly changed to a very irritated expression indeed.

"Ahou, Satou-keiji said as much on the phone to us!" Kazuha said, putting her hands on her hips. Heiji opened his mouth to say something else but she was stepping closer to him, jabbing a finger in the center of his chest. "And don't go changing the subject Heiji, what HAPPENED?"

"I think we'll leave you two be…" Takagi said, before Heiji had a chance to volley an 'ahou' right back at Kazuha. The two detectives got into their car and drove off, leaving Heiji to stand alone on the sidewalk with Kazuha.

"Heeeeeijiii…" Kazuha said, alerting Heiji to her presence once more. "What happened?"

"Ahou, nothin' happened." Heiji said, it was the only thing he could think to say and it wasn't enough to satisfy Kazuha at ALL. He could see it clearly in the way she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. Heiji struggled to come up with something to say, "Kazuha, all that matters is that I'm fine now."

"Heiji-niichan thinks that will make us stop wondering what had happened!" The chipperish voice made Heiji stiffen, and he found himself glancing into the doorway that led to the stairwell of the agency. Kudou was standing there, something close to a smirk was on his features. Ran hovered just behind him, looking mildly worried.

"It doesn't work like that, Conan-kun." Kazuha said, turning her eyes back to Heiji. He felt a flash of anger at being cornered by everyone at once, and had to take a quick calming breath not to over-react to it. It was his new condition, he was sure. He seemed to be a bit more aggressive than usual.

They were all cornering him, and it was driving him half mad. Anger roiled inside of him, and his attempts to calm it failed completely as he opened his mouth and snarled, "At least let me get into some clothes before givin' me the third degree!" Heiji said, and even bared his teeth a little as he spoke. Ran, Kudou, and Kazuha all blinked at him in surprise. Heiji shut his eyes and rubbed his temples, "Sorry…I had…"

He floundered, at a loss for words, and just brushed passed the group and headed upstairs. He was left in peace until he managed to change, and even after that he noticed that nobody seemed to want to say anything. Had he really seemed so angry before?

It was Kazuha that acted first. She stood up, and marched over to Heiji. He actually felt a twinge of amusement towards her for that. For showing her usual spirit. It actually made his heart feel a little lighter.

"Heiji you have to tell us what happened." She said to him, a slightly stern tone to her voice. Heiji snorted, though it was his normal kind of irritated snort and nothing like the flash of anger he'd experienced earlier.

"Ahou, who do ya think you are? My mother?" Heiji snorted irritably, but couldn't help but notice something similar to relief mingling with the irritation in Kazuha's eyes. Heh, that was weird, he didn't exactly feel uncomfortable making eye-contact with Kazuha like he had with Takagi. Maybe it was just a male thing.

"Moooou, Heiji…" Kazuha said.

"Hattori-kun you left last night and then you never came back." Ran said, her tone was incredibly calm compared to Kazuha's, almost shy. Heiji glanced over at her, blinking a bit as she continued, "It's only natural that Kazuha-chan be worried."

"I know." Heiji said, shooting a smirk Kazuha's way, "But I also know that it drives her nuts when I don't tell her, and that's amusin'."

"Heiji!" Kazuha snapped, Heiji snickered at her and then blinked when he noticed her look away with an expression that was only sad. Something close to panic bolted through him and he grabbed her gently by the shoulder.

"Ah, ya know I was only kiddin' Kazuha." Heiji said with a nervous laugh. Kazuha blinked over at him, and the worry in her eyes made him squirm worse than any suspicious look Kudou could ever give him. Heiji coughed, "Look…I….was just shakin' up a bit by somethin' that Kuziki guy said to me."

"Who WAS that man, a friend of Heiji-niichan's?" Kudou asked, his voice bright and filled with false childish curiosity. Heiji glanced over at him, and noticed that despite that tone he had a rather somber look on his face.

"Somebody I met while on that hike I passed out on." Heiji said, deciding that with Kudou there to watch his every move it would be best to stick as close to the truth as possible. The teen turned to look at Kazuha, "Met 'im only a little while before I passed out actually."

"But what does he want?" Kazuha asked.

"My cooperation I think." Heiji replied with something like an irritable snort. He waved off their slightly concerned looks and added, "It's nothin' I can't handle. I don't think he's up to anythin'…illegal…considerin' what he's like."

"What in the world is THAT supposed to mean." Kudou's flat reply to that was almost half expected. Heiji glanced over at the shrunken detective and arched an eyebrow at him. Kudou blinked, seeming to just realize that he was acting rather unchildlike at that moment. Instead of saying something about it the small boy merely scowled at Heiji.

"I can't explain it." Heiji said with a shrug, "Cause I don' know all the details about it myself."

Heh, he was actually getting fairly good at these half-truths. The detective couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief that he wasn't stumbling about like he usually did when he was cornered while being dishonest.

He knew that they weren't satisfied though, it was clear by the looks they were giving him. After a long moment Kudou said, in a rather irritated tone of voice, "And what happened to you last night involving this man?"

"I ran into 'im, we talked for a bit…" Heiji trailed off, then snickered, "I made 'im a bit made I think. Basically shoved him down for scarin' this poor girl that was standin' there mindin' her own business. Then he ran off in a huff and I ran off and passed out."

"You just…passed out…" Ran spoke this time, her disbelief clear in her tone. Kazuha looked as if she wholeheartedly agreed with this and Heiji let out an irritated snort. He crossed his arms and glared at the shrunken detective and two girls that sat on the couch.

"Ya asked what happened, an' that's honestly all I can remember." Heiji stated simply. He couldn't help but glance down as he said the lie. Technically he did know more than that. Like the fact that he turned into a fluffy wolf.

The silence that followed this statement told Heiji that they knew he was hiding something, and the knowledge of that made him feel extremely uncomfortable. The detective shifted nervously from foot to foot until Ran said, "Well…I have to go get some things if we want to have lunch here today. I think that might be a good idea, ne, Kazuha-chan? Would you mind helping me out? Hattori-kun keep an eye on Conan-kun please."

Heiji almost asked the girls not to leave, or at least to have Kazuha stay behind or something. It didn't look like that would have been a hard thing to convince her to do either, since she looked a bit torn by Ran's suggestion. It wasn't that he necessarily needed KAZUHA or anything like that, don't be ridiculous…it was just that he KNEW that as soon as those girls left…

The door swung shut, and tiny Kudou hopped down from the couch and walked over to Heiji. The movement reminded Heiji of a cat stalking a mouse, and it made something within him suddenly very wary. He tried to tamp it down, irritated that he would react so largely to Kudou's confidence.

"Now are you going to tell the truth?" Kudou asked, his tone flat and almost warning. Heiji found himself biting back an involuntary growl as the shrunken teen turned that suspicious look his way. "I know you were lying Hattori, you suck at telling lies."

"Oh?" Heiji said, fighting the irrational hostility that flared through him. _Calm down, he aint threatenin' ya for Pete's sake! He's a SHRIMP, there isn't anyway he could be a threat to ya…_

"It will only hurt her if you don't tell the truth." Kudou stated, his blue eyes scanning Heiji's for any sort of faltering. Instead the teen felt the rage build within him at that. Kudou…he had absolutely no right at ALL to say something like that.

"What, it's not okay if someone else keep secrets but ya can continue lyin' to Neechan?" Heiji snarled, the anger he felt ebbed away as soon as those words left. Kudou's face didn't show any reaction to it, but Heiji could clearly see the hurt in his eyes.

"You're the one who is always telling me that I should let her know…" Kudou finally said, looking down at the floor. His little voice was rather solemn, and Heiji felt a twinge of regret pulse through him. Heiji groaned, slapping his forehead.

"Aw, shut up Kudou." He said, causing the smaller boy to give him an irritated look. "I didn't really mean that, I've just been a bit on edge lately that's all. I don' wanna drag other people inta this mess, so as long as I think I can handle it alone I'll be doin' just that."

"So you admit that you're in some sort of trouble." Kudou replied, looking up at Heiji. "Just…watch your back Hattori. It's always good to have allies…and…it doesn't have anything to do with Them does it?"

"Not a thing, though that whole mess started because of your over paranoia about guys wearin' black just in case ya happened to be curious." Heiji turned an accusing look down on the small detective, "If it wasn't for ya always actin' like They pop up everywhere I probably wouldn'ta followed Kuziki into the forest and gotten bitten like that."

"Bitten?" Kudou said, the moment that Heiji realized he'd said just a bit too much. The Osakan shrugged his shoulders at that questioning look, and turned his head abruptly toward the door before Kudou could say something else. Heiji stiffened. "What?"

"Someone's in the stairway…" Heiji replied tersely, a strange feeling flooding through him. He tentatively sniffed at the air, not really wanting Kudou to notice him doing something like that. He felt his muscles tense as he crossed the room and nearly tore the door off of it's hinges wrenching it open. (That might not be a hyperbole either…) "Kuziki-san."

"Ah, hello." Kuziki spoke with hardly constrained anger, "I was rather close to tearing your throat out last night for what you did, Hattori-kun. You're lucky I had my head about me enough to realize that you're just a pup, and couldn't have helped your ridiculous little mistake."

"Oh I meant it." Heiji returned Kuziki's anger with hostility of his own. He felt an ache in his jaw as he ground out, "Get outta here, this isn't a place ya can hang around."

"And if I don't leave?" Kuziki's retort held the promise of a fight. Heiji suppressed a shiver of anticipation. However it wasn't him who sent the retort the way of the man standing in the door.

"We'll have the police come and take you away! Cause trespassing is bad!" Kudou said in a cheerful and childish voice. He jumped up so that he was standing right between Kuziki and Heiji. Kudou blinked a bit when Kuziki openly laughed.

"What's this, a pet?" Kuziki purred, "Are you still hanging around your little friends? Even after all that's happened? You'll probably not want to do that."

Rage flared through Heiji, a snarl tore through his throat, and had it not been for the fact that Kudou was standing between them he would have thrown himself at Kuziki for that. Instead he growled out, "Are ya threatenin' those close to me now?"

"Oh it won't be me who will end up killing them. As much control you have now, Hattori-kun, you can't possibly last much longer without a 'crave hitting you. And when that comes you'll slaughter any person who isn't like us, whether you want to or not." Kuziki's snarl chilled Heiji to the bone, and the man turned on his heel to leave the house. "Well, I merely wanted to pop in to let you know that I know where you'll be staying on this trip, Hattori-kun. Have a lovely day. You to, Boy-san."

The silence that filled the room was filled with Heiji's tension. He was shaking with the urge to change into a beast and tear his fangs deep into Kuziki's flesh. The teen pinched the bridge of his nose, and attempted to calm himself.

"Hattori…what was he talking about?" Kudou asked. Heiji didn't reply, merely stepped through the still open door and started to stalk his way down the stairs, "O-oi! Where do you think you're going Hattori? The girls will be ticked if they come back and-"

"I need space." Heiji snapped in reply, his voice sounded ragged and strained. Heiji breathed out a sigh, "Just, say I went to go talk with somebody. That should be enough, I'll try and talk to them later Kudou. Don't ya dare follow me either, I'll sniff ya out a mile away."

"I'm hardly that obvious." Kudou replied flatly, but Heiji only let out a harsh laugh as he walked out onto the busy street. He was still so very on edge, and he felt that if he didn't get away from the agency where Kuziki's scent was still clogging the air he would change.

* * *

Shinichi waited a full thirty seconds before he began to follow Hattori. There were things going on with his peer, and he wanted to know exactly what. Shinichi wanted his friend to understand that doing things alone wasn't always the answer.

You shouldn't keep secrets unless it was absolutely necessary, or you would only cause yourself and those around you a great deal of pain. Shinichi HATED lying to Ran, more than he hated anything in the world. He hated the fact that he had to do it, and he hated himself for never telling her.

There were plenty of reasons TO tell Ran. She was his best friend, she would be an amazing ally, she was intelligent, he could confide in her and tell her just how difficult it was for him without fear of being judged or called weak, and telling her could prepare her for the inevitable clash he was going to have with those men in black.

Yet the almost single reason for NOT telling her shoved all of those good reasons aside like they were nothing but specks of dust in the wind. That single reason was…that if he told her it meant that she would know about the organization. The organization killed anybody who knew anything about them. They were like that, erasing evidence of Their existence at all costs.

He wasn't about to let Hattori keep secrets from Kazuha, he wasn't about to let his fellow detective feel the agony he felt every single day. He couldn't stand the thought of not TRYING, even if Hattori seemed incredibly set against it.

_I've never seen Hattori so…angry before._ Shinichi thought, keeping his back carefully against the wall as he watched the Osakan from afar. He'd thought the little flares of temper earlier that morning were odd for Hattori, he was hot-headed and could be loud but he never seemed to show true anger when pressured or annoyed normally. Those flare-ups had been nothing compared to the pure rage he'd exhibited around that Kuziki man. _Hattori looked ready to attack the guy._

Which was another reason Shinichi was following after Hattori like this. The shrunken detective would be damned if he let that Osakan do something stupid that he would surely regret later. That anger…it had almost been murderous.

Shinichi blinked as Hattori made a sudden beeline straight for a place. The detective followed after him, eyes reading the sign even though he was used to the Beika scenery so he truly didn't need to. The young man was headed for a hotel.

_**

* * *

**_

Heiji breathed something close to a sigh of relief as he stepped out on the roof of the building. This was an ideal place to get some alone time, and he had managed to slip through the reception area with no questions being shot his direction.

Still, he was almost positive that somebody had been following him. The Osakan felt a flash of irritation. If it was Kudou, even after all he said to him about staying behind, he was going to blow a gasket and toss the little brat right over the edge of the building…

Okay, so he wouldn't do something that extreme. Heiji wasn't about to commit a murder just because somebody wasn't listening to his requests or something like that. How idiotic a motive would that be? _"Why'd you kill him?" "Well sir, ya see, I asked 'im to stay at home but he just didn't listen. So I just tossed him over, y'know?"_

Heiji snorted, somehow morbidly amused by the little scenario he'd played in his head. That is, until he remembered Kuziki's chilling words. The teen detective stopped laughing abruptly then, and walked closer to the edge.

"That's really unsafe…" The detective muttered, peering over the edge at the dizzying drop. Usually tall buildings with roof access had a fence to protect people from falling off. It seemed to be absent on this one, there was only a small wall that would probably come about to Kudou's knees.

"Isn't it?" The stated words made him jump, and he had to pinwheel his arms desperately so as to not fall. He almost lost the battle, but he felt somebody grab the back of his shirt and jerk him back. Heiji blinked, and turned his green tinged eyes at the person in surprise as she continued, "We're pretty sturdy, but I still don't think it would be a good idea to go jumping off."

She was a tall girl, a bit on the lanky side, with fiery red hair spilling over her shoulders in thick curls. Her eyes were a bright shade of blue, and she was a bit on the pale side. Heiji couldn't help but notice that she had a dark cloak, like Kuziki's, draped around her shoulders.

She wasn't alone either, there was a boy standing behind her. He could have easily been Heiji's age, give or take a year, with dark brown hair that was hanging a bit in his eyes. He too, wore a cloak, and there was something like cold amusement in his brown eyes.

* * *

Why would Hattori go up there? Shinichi heaved a tired sigh and wondered just how he would be able to sneak passed the receptionist to get up to the roof, all without Hattori figuring out he'd been following him. Going out on the roof wasn't an option; his cover would be blown almost instantly.

The shrunken detective tensed, looking over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes. Ever since the organization had given him that drug his senses seemed to be jammed permanently on a paranoia setting. He could sense people watching him much better than he ever had been able to before, and could almost feel malevolence in looks without having to even see them.

_Someone's watching me. And they don't have good intentions._ Shinichi thought, eyes scanning the crowd behind him. He almost jumped out of his skin when somebody's hand clamped over his shoulder. Shinichi flicked his blue eyes up, and felt them stretch wide with surprise.

Dark eyes, very dark, they were almost black. Shinichi watched as Kuziki grinned, and hauled him up in the air. Shinichi took in a deep breath, ready to scream that there was a kidnapper. (Hey, it would hurt his pride a little but it most certainly would work…) But Kuziki was running before he had the chance.

His sheer speed had Shinichi completely speechless.

_**

* * *

**_

They were…lycanthropes, like him. Heiji knew it instantly by the scent, and a ripple flared through him. He gasped as his knees buckled and he struck the floor. The girl hopped away, alarm flaring up in her blue eyes.

"Hey, calm down!" She yelled at him, as if he was doing something wrong. "You don't have to get in your wolf form. We're just here to talk with you, alright?"

"So he is wild." The boy said with a soft drawl to his words that was definitely American. Southern American to be exact. Heiji breathed out, and was relieved when his heart stopped pounding so hard. It didn't seem as though he was going to change right now.

"I'm not wild." Heiji replied with something like a growl.

"Does it hurt?" The girl asked with surprise in her eyes, "I think it hurts him to change Adam-kun! How weird, do you think he's always fighting it? I bet that's the case. If you feel an involuntary change coming you really shouldn't try and suppress it. You should just let it happen."

"But his friends are human, Aya-chan." The boy stalked towards Heiji and offered him a hand, "Greetings. My name is Adam Stevenson; I'm from Arkansas in the United States. I don't mind if you use my first name, if it makes you more comfortable."

"And I'm Tsuzuki Aya." Aya gave him a beaming grin. Heiji blinked between the two of them in a bewildered manner, wondering what he could possibly say or do in a situation like this. Aya grinned at him, "This is the part you tell us your name."

"Hattori Heiji, detective." Heiji finally said, shaking Adam's hand firmly and glancing over at Aya. "Ah…forgive me if I'm wrong, cause this is gonna sound really weird if I am, but you guys wouldn't happen ta be…wolves would ya?"

"Sharp nose…" Adam commented, "You said you were a detective? Interesting…that explains your perceptiveness I assume. I think you knew we were following you most of the time, even though we were down wind. Good instincts."

"Ah…thanks?" Heiji said, blinking, "Wh…What are ya here for anyways? Friends of Kuziki-san?"

He was surprised by the bitterness in his tone when he mentioned the lycanthrope that had uprooted his life. Aya was shaking her head, her red curls bounced about as she did this, and she gave him a smile that was almost reassuring. "No, Kuziki-san is part of our pack, but he broke some very important rules. Biting a human-being being the major one."

"Rules…" Heiji said, something like relief sparking through him. So there were rules, that was…a relief. "There are rules?"

"Of course, we can't have a civil society without rules." Aya said as Adam nodded his head next to her. "We're here to check up on you and see if what they were saying was really true. Hattori-kun, you are the most amazing thing I think I've ever seen."

"Thanks, but why is that?" Heiji asked, wondering why the girl would say something like that. Not that he was uncomfortable over it, heh, he was pretty freaking cool. He deserved a bit of adoration, and it certainly didn't hurt coming from a pretty young girl around his age.

"You just walked through the streets of Beika city, pissed off, judging by the way you were tensed up, and very close to a change." Adam spoke calmly, and almost coolly. The teen locked eyes with Heiji, which made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. "Yet, despite the fact that you were a bitten lycan, you didn't attack any of them."

"Uh…" Heiji shifted his feet uncomfortably, "Aren't we all bitten?"

"Perhaps some of the oldest of our kind." Aya said cheerfully, she draped herself over Adam. Heiji marveled at his ability to keep from blushing over that, as she tipped her head to one side and placed her face against the calmer teen. Adam wasn't even really blinking in response. "However about a hundred years ago they decreed that it was illegal to hunt or bite human-beings to change them into werewolves."

"Not only were humans intelligent enough to be considered peers…" Adam said, "But their blood is highly addictive, and very destructive. A lycan eating humankind ends up becoming more and more violent and beast-like until they loose most of their control. They eventually get stuck either permanently as wolves, or as something rather grotesque that is inbetween. They are very violent, and very strong."

"So Kuziki is breaking the law." Heiji said, relief flooding through him, "And I don't have to hurt any people either…"

"If you attack a human we'll probably have to delete you." Adam's tone was almost cold, and Heiji felt a shiver creep it's way up his spine. "It's nothing against you, Hattori-kun. It's just that if we didn't do such a thing you'd end up killing a lot of people."

"Right, got it, no eating people. Won't be a problem for me, I don't plan on chomping down on someone anytime soon." Heiji said, glad for the chance to get information, and from people who didn't seem to be trying to hide it from him.

"Onya-sama would like to meet you." Aya said with a smile, "She's pretty intrigued by you, you know, not killing everyone that comes within a five meter radius of you. "

"I black out sometimes…" Heiji said, "But I don't think…have I…"

"We've been keeping an eye on you. You haven't killed anybody yet." Adam said, and Heiji almost toppled over with the sheer relief those words brought. So he wasn't a murderer…but Kuziki certainly was. Heiji wondered how he could bring the other man to justice.

"Other rules you should know," Adam said, "If it is at all possible; don't tell anybody about what has happened. We are realistic enough to realize that people are going to find out, but in the event that somebody does find out they will be sworn to secrecy. If you go around telling too many people then chances are you're going to end up walking in and finding everyone you told to be gone."

Rage flared through Heiji, "Don't threaten my friends."

"I'm only stating the rules. We can't have a ton of people knowing. Your parents, that's fine if you tell them. We don't really mind." Adam blinked, "But I think that's probably the extent of who you should be telling about this."

"Right, fine." Heiji snorted, and turned to glare out over the city. "I don't exactly want everyone to know about what is happening anyways."

"No taking a mate that is a human being." Adam said flatly, "If you do that your mate WILL be executed, as punishment to you and her."

"What the HELL?" Heiji felt his eyes widen, "That's a little harsh dontchya think?"

"Lycanthropy is also an STD." Adam replied with a flatness to his tone. Heiji felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as he continued bluntly, "And yes, it seems harsh, but you have to understand that our rules are old."

"Hundreds of years old to be exact." Aya said with a bright grin in Heiji's direction. The girl blinked as she looked out over the buildings once more, "Of course you shouldn't be biting others to change them, that's breaking the rules. And as soon as you get back to Osaka you'll have to report to the pack leader there. We try not to let 'wolves roam around all alone, it would be best if you joined the pack so that we could make sure Kuziki didn't stalk you."

"In fact it would be best if you were to leave Japan altogether if you ask me. There are some nice Lycanthropes in Australia who could use a young guy like you to help them out." Adam said, "Leaving your old life behind would be the best approach."

"No." Heiji spoke simply, and thought of Kazuha. He couldn't leave his best friend, not like that. She would just flip out and try and find him. Which could be dangerous. That was the only reason he immediately thought of her…right?

"Whatever you like." Adam said, "But being near your friends and family just puts them at risk of being targeted by Kuziki-kun."

"Speakin' of him." Heiji said, "If he's breakin' the rules that ya happen to be layin' out in front of me, then how come he hasn't taken any of the consequences?"

"Because we can't find him. Some 'wolves have special abilities and strengths, Kuziki can hide his trail. He can't hide his own scent completely when he's physically near, but tracking him is a near impossibility because he can duplicate thousands of trails for you to follow." Aya huffed irritably, "I'm one of the best trackers in the whole pack, and I still haven't found him…"

"He also said…somethin' about craves…" Heiji said nervously, but before either of the two could answer the door to the roof swung open with a loud bang. Heiji felt aggression flood through him instantly as Kuziki's familiar scent wafted to him.

"Visitors! Hello, Aya-chan, Adam-kun. How are you both this fine and bright day?" Kuziki spoke and as he did this he lifted up one very irritated looking shrunken detective by the collar of his t-shirt for everyone to see, "Look what I found wandering around on the street, a snack."

* * *

_**And that's it for now!**_

_**Cliffhanger WOO!**_

_**X3 This chapter was eighteen pages long…Awesome.**_

_**Reviews are loved.**_


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